


Hand and Shield

by seaofolives



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: 32-Year-Old Ignis Scientia, 33-Year-Old Gladiolus Amicitia, Bisexual Gladiolus Amicitia, Bittersweet Ending, Blind Ignis Scientia, Body Worship, Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV, Canon Compliant, Canon Era, Canon Timeline, Canon Universe, Canonical Character Death, Comfort Sex, Consent Issues, Explicit Sexual Content, Gay Ignis Scientia, Gladiolus Amicitia/Ignis Scientia Fluff, Hotel Sex, M/M, Minor Gladiolus Amicitia/Original Character(s), Minor Original Character(s), Older Gladiolus Amicitia, Older Gladiolus Amicitia/Ignis Scientia, Older Ignis Scientia, POV Gladiolus Amicitia, Polyamory, Post-Canon, Post-Episode Gladiolus, Post-Episode Ignis, Pre-Canon, Semi-Public Sex, Tags Contain Spoilers, World of Ruin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:41:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 21
Words: 150,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24407473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seaofolives/pseuds/seaofolives
Summary: an exploration of gladio and ignis' relationship throughout the canon line frombrotherhoodto the end of the main game
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia/Ignis Scientia
Comments: 62
Kudos: 64





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this wondering if i could finish a balls long fic before the lockdown lifts and in conclusion, yes. writer also played the game with the jp voice so not a lot of nicknames are going to be found here

For a guy who was raised to follow a strict regimen with his food and training since he was barely old enough to drop his voice, every day of his life so far has gone by like clockwork. 

Mornings always start the same way for Gladio in the Amicitia household—wake up, stretch, laze around for a few more minutes to check his phone and his calendar, get up, do some quick exercises, shower, inspect himself and his teeth in the mirror and then finally go down for breakfast before he attacked the day. But for this one, though, it was going to be a little special and a relatively and blessedly short one for him. 

It was training day for the crown prince—which meant duty in the morning and then lessons in the afternoon but rather than making up for the lost hours of duty by staying on in the Citadel until dinner time, his father Clarus had gone out of his way to ease up Gladioʼs schedule for the week. So after this one, he was pretty much…well, a free bird, pun very much intended, until the weekend rolled over. 

Gladio felt good. The first half of his day went by in a breeze and he hadnʼt even found himself sneaking a glance at the nearest clock before he was already saying goodbye to his buddies, which was a rare fortune for the eldest son of House Amicitia. His tasks and responsibilities, after all, have often left him very little time for his own hobbies and his reading list was already piling up. Which was normal, _but_ he still liked to pretend it wasnʼt. 

He was pondering about the joy of picking up another book while he went through his forms with the glaive in the Citadel training room (heʼd been stuck with one for like, months, but because life was too short for a bad book, maybe he should just leave it in the park somewhere) when the doors opened up to welcome the other participants in todayʼs training session. One of them came in whining—because of course, you werenʼt the crown prince if you werenʼt Prince of Royal Whining, while the other followed closely with an even tone, a calmer speech, and savage words that shut the prince up. Gladio cackled in support of his fellow exasperated retainer. He couldnʼt help it! 

The prince was a lot less impressed, greeting him only with a, “Whatever, Gladio,” and a royal roll of his eyes. 

“And good afternoon to you, too, Prince Noctis,” he chuckled still, parking one hand on his side, looking absolutely pleased. To Noctisʼ bemused companion, though, he offered instead a chummy smile and an upward nod of his head. “Always nice to have you with us, Ignis.”

Ignis smiled back with equal delight and a more formal nod. “Never could turn down an invitation from you, Gladio.” Imagine how those words set Gladioʼs heart aflutter. 

It didnʼt always used to be like this. Gladio and Ignis, being both Team Retainers, had known each other at a very tender age of ‘kidsʼ through the introduction of their parents—his dad, Ignisʼ mom—in some elaborate Crown party or other. Theyʼd been casual acquaintances ever since, as two would be if they were expected to work with each other for like, a lifetime, but Gladioʼs young mind at that time was set only on his dreams of being the Shield of the King. So Ignis was more or less just a name and a face along the sidelines of his destiny. 

That all changed, of course, when the boy began his transition into manhood. Suddenly, all sorts of other things he used to not care for was crying for his attention: the thickness of his brows, the tightness of his erm, pants around his uh…general hip area, this new girl in the upper class who apparently wasnʼt so new, sheʼd been around two years ago, Gladio had just been living under a rock. His choice of cologne, his diet, the symmetry of his teeth and his chest…Ignis… 

_Ignis._ That was definitely a surprise, on top of the one where he discovered that he enjoyed being kissed by guys, too (which was a dare that marked the new chapter of his life and ended his relationship with his girlfriend). It was weird, they practically grew up together and now they were both about to graduate high school. And besides, he never saw himself as the kind of guy who got turned on by the sexy librarian gimik which was pretty much Ignisʼ entire aesthetic—neat hair, sensible glasses, pressed clothes buttoned to the neck, grievously serious expression…which was funny. 

Because the guy, after so much rigorous training that wasnʼt required of him, by the way, but there he was, anyway, stood like he had a polearm in place where he was supposed to have a spine. It was the most flawless form Gladio had ever seen in a fighter their age and he couldnʼt remember how or when heʼd achieved such…perfection. It only felt to him like he waved goodbye to a gangly advisor one day and the next, he was…longer. Sharper along his jawline and his cheekbones and thicker and bigger around his shoulders, his arms, his umm… _ahem_. 

It would have been hilarious if it was funny at all but he wasnʼt laughing—at the end of the long story, Gladiolus Amicitia had simply developed a puppy crush on Ignis Scientia. This straight-laced school administrator wannabe who could also dance with a pair of daggers and a spear like itʼs no oneʼs business. So maybe he did have a thing for sexy librarians. Particularly the ones who offered him a bite of his new recipe from his own fork and snack box, the ones who asked to borrow his favorite Henruit novel just so they could have something to talk about during training breaks, the ones who always turned away and pushed back his glasses whenever Gladio said something to make him blush…

If he wasnʼt any wiser, he daresayed the guy wasnʼt…not attracted to his personage, either. Which was stupid, just because he liked men as much as he liked women didnʼt mean everyone else around him did, too. 

Busy thoughts, busy, busy thoughts. Running around his head while he watched Ignis warm up, stretching out his arms and legs, bending until he could touch his forehead to his knee…so flexible. Heʼll probably see some other applications of this flexibility later on in his wet dreams. Which was a creepy way of looking at his friend and damn, here he was, doing it again! 

Gladio forced his eyes down to his trainers, face burning at the tightness in his underwear, while he pulled his arm sideways with his elbow. He better calm down before the perceptive Ignis sniffed him out in front of the prince. 

“So?” Noctis sounded officially Done with training as he stood in the middle of the long room, following Gladioʼs instructions. As for the instructor himself, he marched to one end of the room while Ignis, he ordered to take position at the other end behind the prince. He stood there now, waiting, watching with his arms crossed. 

“What do you want me to do?” the irritating Noctis nagged him again. 

“Beat us, of course,” Gladio commanded, coming up to his full height after fixing his shoelaces to unzip his Crownsguard hoodie. “But the challenge now is that Ignis and I are flanking you and the moment you turn your eyes away from either of us, we can attack you.” In one smooth motion, he pulled off his jacket, stripping down to his muscle tank top which he may or may not have put on for a reason. 

That reason being that person across the room, clearing his throat while he turned away and nudged back his glasses. Noctis stood without noticing, still thoroughly unimpressed. 

Gladio pretended not to have noticed Ignis as he pushed on. “Ignis and I will be keeping an eye on each other.” Thank you, muscle tank. “You, on the other hand, are on your own.” He reached to the air, then, and summoned his glaive from the crystals. “Keep your guard up at all times and most importantly, focus!”

“Yep,” Noctis affirmed, slashing the air with his bare hand to bring forth his newest sword which his father had given him on his birthday. “Thisʼll be a piece of cake!”

“Famous last words, Noct,” Gladio countered while he braced his feet and hefted the sword up his shoulders. “Ignis,” he called out to the other end, “you ready?”

“On your count, Gladio,” Ignis confirmed, crossing his daggers before him. 

“One,” Gladio barked, flexing his fingers around his glaiveʼs hilt. “Two!” Across him, Noctis was practically on the balls of his feet, ready to sprint with a swift attack. “ _Three!_ ”

The entire room moved at that last number, Noctis charging at Gladio with a cry before he turned back halfway across the distance and defended himself from an attack by Ignis. Steel rang at every collision, a shower of crystals splashing into existence at every moment any one fighter switched weapons to press their advantage. 

“Gladio,” Ignis called his attention. “With me!”

Count on a Scientia to be strategizing even in a friendly match. He was already dashing for him when Gladio turned, leaving him only a second to reaffirm Noctisʼ position before he crouched low under the cover of his glaive. 

Giving Ignis the perfect springboard to launch his spear onto Noctis. Gladio wished heʼd seen all that but could only catch the prince flipping sideways clumsily with a burst of crystals. Now he and Ignis were trading spear blows in a language that Gladio didnʼt quite understand but thought was still beautiful, anyway. As he caught himself watching Ignis twist and spin and kick—

Oops. 

He summoned his shield and with a wide whirl, let the weapon slide to the pair of fighters, intending to trip Noctis to give Ignis the advantage. The end result, though, was just both of them jumping back, making way for the shield to crash into the plain wall. Oops, again. 

“What the hell, Gladio?!”

“Whose side are you on, really?!”

“Sorry!”

The glaive was back in his hands as he turned himself with it and delivered a wild upward swing at Noctis. Noctis parried, flipped backwards for space and launched his spear at Gladio. The shield came back in time to block the point before it cut him. Too close!

Ignis charged while the prince was wide open, jabbing the hilt of his dagger into Noctisʼ side so that the prince fell back in a messy clutter. Maybe they ought to go back to that lesson because he really looked undignified. Ignis whirled his blades, ready to end the fight.

Noctis fought back with a kick up his chin. Ignis faltered, landing on the floor with a deep groan while Noctis changed to a shorter blade and scrambled up to his feet to deliver his own finishing blow. 

Blocked by Gladio sliding up on his knees to Ignisʼ side to cover him with his shield. Noctis growled out in frustration. “You okay, Ignis?” he called to his teammate massaging his jaw. 

“Nothing a potion canʼt manage,” Ignis grunted, though he could hardly hear any pain or urgency in his tempered voice. Watch yourself, Gladio. “Keep pushing, Gladio!”

Gladio would never have expected Ignis, who wasnʼt raised in a fighting environment, to be the type to take pain well. Just one of those things that fuels his crush. He left him on the floor, then, while he charged at Noctis, driving him back into the defensive while he stumbled for balance and space, crystals bursting all around him in an obvious indecision of which weapon to wield next. The glaive appeared out of his personal armory then the spear then back to his own sword. 

“Make a decision!” Gladio snapped, this whole time pushing and swinging his own greatsword at the prince. “You’re leaving yourself defenseless for too long!!”

“I know that, shut up!” Noctis snapped back. The glaive was his answer to that criticism, then, throwing off Gladioʼs attack with a wild swing, then switching to a spear to reach at Gladioʼs open side. Gladio slammed his shield onto it at the nick of time, following it closely with an evading roll before Noctis could retaliate. 

He landed on his knee, taking up the defensive. He heard the rush of the wind, then, before Noctis reappeared in the midst of a blue aura…literally on top of his shield, his sword held harmlessly in his right. 

The prince wore a smug smile on his face while he saluted Gladio with his left. “See ya!” Turned and pitched his sword to the high wall at the other end of the room. 

Putting a charging Ignis into focus, running with his spear ready to jab from his side. A quick look at his balance was enough to tell Gladio that he had lost complete control of his momentum over the span of the room and if he didnʼt do anything about this…well, this could be quite the messy ending. 

“Ignis, wait!” Gladio rose to his feet with an urgent warning, letting the crystals reclaim his glaive so he could put his full mind to his shield. By then, Ignis had finally realized what had happened and was practically tripping over himself as an effect. “Iʼm on your side!” The spear was gone, left on the floor to be turned into crystals. 

Gladio ditched his own shield just in time before Ignis slammed right into him and shoved him back to the floor with the full weight of his misplaced charge. Prince Dicktis tittered victoriously somewhere out there, probably hanging onto his sword. 

“Did you see that?!” Noctis whooped. 

Gladio recovered quickly enough from that bull attack after a long groan and several blinks of the eye, trying to right his perspective. Ignis, too, took the opportunity to raise himself slightly and recollect himself with one of his hands on his glasses and his face. 

It wasnʼt until the next second that he found out where his other hand was (hint: Gladioʼs arm) and they finally recognized each other—and froze. This was the closest Gladio had ever gotten to Ignis since adolescence, which put him in a bad position because there were things happening to his body now that didnʼt used to be there when they were just kids. 

And Ignis was right there to feel them, though he stared back in equal horror, wide green eyes standing out in a sea of red…Ignis was blushing hard to the hair! Or maybe it was just the heat of battle? 

“U, umm—!” He was completely overtaken by his flustered state, though, that Gladio had forgotten all about his precarious situation as he watched Ignis struggle with his…hands. He pushed up his glasses, pushed himself up with a hand on Gladioʼs chest which he stared at for maybe two seconds too long. Ignis choked again while he brought himself up to straddle the watching Gladio, _and then_ clamber off of him in a disastrous mess so he could turn his back to him while he fixed his glasses on his knees. Again. “My apologies!” his voice broke. “I, it wasnʼt my intention…!”

Noctis guffawed. From the floor, Gladio caught him landing perfectly from his spot by the wall, dusting his hand. 

He still had that smug look on his face when he called back his sword from the crystals and twirled it in his hand. “Round 2?” he offered.

—

It was a short training session.

Ignis excused himself to the menʼs room where he took his time while Gladio and Noctis sparred as normal. When Ignis returned, they took a quick break to drink his tea and eat his food, after which Gladio agreed to refresh them both on how to properly spin a long weapon without losing their own heads. After another quick match, they called it a day. It was officially Gladioʼs curfew time. 

“Hey, Gladio, check this out.” They were in the menʼs locker room when Noctis had called his attention to show him a post he found on his social media account. He was still drying his hair from the shower while Gladio, running his fingers over his shorter hair with some oil, bent low to read the announcement. 

“Oooh!” Gladio swooned, scrolling up for the rest of the post. “Theyʼre putting these brands on sale.” Well, he had nothing to do tonight. 

“Thatʼs your thing, right?” Noctis retrieved his phone, towel still on his head. “Iʼll send you the post,” he said as he began working on it with busy fingers. 

“‘ppreciate it,” Gladio thanked him. Finished with his hair, he wiped his fingers on his towel and proceeded with his deodorant before he put on his sweater again. 

“Noct,” Ignis reappeared then from the other side of the locker room, phone out, himself already fully dressed in new clothes and smelling lightly of fresh cologne. Gladio caught himself breathing it in. Was it green tea? Almond? Actually, he had zero idea about the difference between the two but whatever it was, he liked it. “Your driverʼs waiting for you. Iʼve already brought out your suit in the bedroom and prepared your cufflinks and necktie on your bedside table. Your socks should already be in your shoes—”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, why do you have to keep treating me like a kid? I could have picked my own socks myself,” Noctis snorted, pitching his towel to the laundry bin at the corner while he shouldered his sagging backpack. 

“Yeah, let him lift his finger for a change,” Gladio snickered and received Noctisʼ elbow for that. 

“Because this is an important charity event and youʼre actually going to appear on live television,” Ignis explained evenly, nudging his glasses. “Itʼs better to make sure that you look presentable. After the event, heʼll drive you back to your apartment. Iʼll be over the next morning to take your suit to the cleaners.”

“Is this the guy who doesnʼt know how to signal a turn, by the way?”

“Iʼve already warned him to mind the rules and his driving if he doesnʼt want to spend the morning with His Majesty.”

“Better to just let me have the keys, then. You do a better job driving straight than him.” Okay, that made Gladio snort. 

He had to swallow his own grin off his face and the rest of his amusement when Noctis and Ignis turned to him, one with a popped brow, the other looking like he was ready to crawl out of his skin. “Sorry,” Gladio cleared his throat, squaring his shoulders. “I just thought it was funny.”

Noctis sighed and shook his head at him. “What?” Gladio insisted, to which he only smirked and shook his head a bit harder. 

“Well, see ya,” the prince said to the both of them with a little wave before he headed out the room, pushing his locker door shut along the way. 

“Take care,” Ignis replied with his own nod while Gladio waved back. 

“So.” Gladio hefted his full pack over his shoulder, turning to his last companion who busied himself with straightening up his buttons. For…whatever reason. “Got any plans tonight?”

Ignis smiled at him. “To rest, perchance to catch up on some much-needed sleep.” Gladio laughed. “I havenʼt finished the last book you lent me yet so I think now would be a good time to do that, too.”

“Not gonna watch Noct on TV?”

“My goal is to rest, not to stress.” Ignis smiled more brightly when Gladio laughed again. “Heʼll be too uncomfortable in his suit to act funny, besides.”

“I like the way you think, Ignis.”

“Thank you.” Whispered shyly. His right hand jumped, the itch to fiddle with his glasses barely suppressed. “And uh…you? Gladio?” Ignis looked like he was forcing himself to maintain eye contact. 

Which made Gladio feel a bit uneasy but he didnʼt want Ignis to feel uncomfortable so he said nothing of it. “Oh, thereʼs this sale on outdoor gear that Noct showed me. I figured I could look around a little before I headed home.”

“And then?”

Gladio shrugged, smiling slightly. Was he expecting something else? 

Should…should he ask him out…? 

“Ah, I see.” Ignis nodded. He looked like he was about to explode if he didnʼt touch his glasses in the next five seconds. “Well,” he breathed, nodding to Gladio again. “Have fun.” Oh. That was it? 

Gladio felt like there was something more unspoken here. Or maybe it was his turn to ask for that dinner but—

—he chickened out. “Well,” Gladio chirruped, grabbing his cap and slamming his locker door shut, then indicating the door over his shoulder. “Iʼll see you around.”

“See you, Gladio.”

Gladio waved at him, turned and left. Back along the shower rooms and the toilet cubicles that would lead him into the dark training room again, he finally allowed himself to breathe a little easier, feel his heart pounding in his chest. Damn, this crush didnʼt used to be so bad but—

“Gladio?”

He was almost out the door when Ignis cried. He left no room for thought when he spun right back around and hurried back to the locker room, his fat pack bouncing on his ass in his haste. 

“Ignis?!” he cried back, spinning round to see the man alone on the bench next to his duffel bag. Ignis looked up to him with a start. “Ignis?” he tried again when the man didnʼt speak. 

“Gladio,” Ignis choked, looking at him with some surprise. “I…I thought youʼd already gone?”

“Was about to leave when I heard you call.” How flattering. “Whatʼs up?” Wait, did he really cry that out or was it just the acoustics of the place? Or his imaginations…?

“U, umm…” Ignis put his hand to his glasses again, eyes on his feet, ears red. Gladio had to consciously stop himself from smiling at the sight. “N, nothing important, just…” He cleared his throat, fist on his lips. “About earlier…when…the two of us—I,” glasses, throat, “I mean…w, when Iʼd attacked you on accident…and we…”

“Fell,” Gladio supplied. He couldnʼt stop himself from smiling anymore, not when Ignis who was normally so serious and composed and aware of himself had somehow been transformed into a bashful boy caught, well, red-handed. 

“Yes,” Ignis agreed with a full nod. “I…about that, I…take full responsibility over it.” Now that he had his words back, he could finally face up to Gladio despite the fever in his face. “Between the two of us, Noct wouldnʼt have stood a chance, but I…blundered.” 

“Yeah, well,” Gladio shrugged, “you gotta admit, he had us there nice and good. I mean, I canʼt always be mad when he beats me, you know? Shows what Iʼm teaching him is actually getting through his skull.”

For that, Ignis smiled softly. Proud always when his little brother-figure got a sincere compliment. Gladio wished Ignis couldnʼt hear the loud thumping of his heart. “But…we could have lasted a little longer, couldnʼt we?” he persisted. “And perhaps…accepted our defeat in a slightly more dignified manner.” Gladio laughed. For that, Ignis smiled brighter. 

“So,” he ventured on, nudging his glasses back again, “w, wo…uld you be amenable to dinner at my place?”

“What?” Gladio sputtered, almost dropped his bag. “Tonight?”

“Tonight?” Ignis matched him, look for look and surprise for surprise. That caused Gladio to stop. He realized then that Ignis was totally not thinking about tonight. 

He gulped down a crystal. Now it was his turn to blush. 

“B, but I thought you—”

“Of course, it doesnʼt _have_ to be tonight! What was I…” Gladio laughed, his embarrassment carried over the room in echoes while he scratched over his cap, eyes shifting to the lockers. “What was I uh…what was I…” What was he saying again? 

He took a peek at Ignis, and found the man steeped in amusement, one arm over his front, his other hand barely restraining his lips. He didnʼt look like he was burning anymore. 

Gladio smirked. “Dinner sounds great,” he said. 

“Tonight, then?” Ignis offered, putting down his hand. “Before you go off on a rampage over your outdoor love, itʼll be a good idea to fill up. Perhaps itʼs also a good time for me to finally try my hand on this new recipe Iʼve been pondering about.” Well, he had nothing to do tonight.

“Yeah?” Gladio crossed his arms. “Could taste test that for ya.”

—

They left the Citadel in Ignisʼ car soon after, doing a quick stop to the groceries to gather the ingredients Ignis would need. Coming from a rich family who normally only received what he was given, Gladio tailed Ignis uselessly while he perused the aisles with razor sharp attention. When it was time to pay up, though, Gladio found his opportunity to help out.

“Let me take this,” Gladio insisted, sidling up to his side to wave his battered wallet to the woman by the till. She bowed obediently while he fished out his notes from the fold. 

“Gladio, thatʼs too much,” Ignis protested, even attempting to reach over his shoulder for his money but the deed was already done. 

Gladio received his change, pocketed it, then turned around and put on a victorious smile for Ignis who sighed immaculately at him. “Right, letʼs roll!”

“Gladio, youʼre my guest. You shouldnʼt have to do this,” Ignis exhaled, reaching for the bag of items, only to miss it when Gladio had raced him to it. “Hey—! Gladio, let me at least carry those!” He chased after him through the sliding doors. 

“Cʼmon, let me do some work around here.” Gladio turned around to face Ignis, standing by the locked boot of the car. “You’re cooking for me tonight, arenʼcha?”

“Only because I insisted,” Ignis argued. Of course he would argue. And press his position even to the point of grasping both Gladioʼs hands just to try and fight him for the bag. That caused Gladioʼs heart to skip. He couldnʼt remember if they had ever touched hands before…even before he started to like the guy. “Come now, youʼve already done too much.”

“I uh…” Gladio tried to get his mind to work. “I only wanna help.” He couldnʼt stop himself from tilting sideways a little to look at their touching hands. That was when Ignis noticed. 

He jumped and pulled back his own as if Gladio had set them on fire. Ignis was practically…vibrating when he averted his eyes and pushed back his glasses again. “I, I see,” he said, forgetting his fight. “V, very well…let me just open the back.”

He left Gladio next to it while he hurried back to the driverʼs seat. Gladio finished the job quickly enough and was back next to Ignis soon. 

The air then was tensed and quiet, Ignis focusing—hard—on the road, Gladio worried that his white-knuckled grip might actually break the wheel. He couldnʼt tell him, though. It felt like any moment he talked, Ignis might just straight up explode. Besides, he was occupied by his own thoughts, as well. 

He found them in his hands, the phantom warmth of Ignisʼ rough touch still lingering on them. He closed his fists, trying to recall them exactly. How funny, that earlier, he was just pondering about Ignisʼ thoughts and feelings about him—and now here he was, practically being handed them…or maybe he was just letting his own thoughts and feelings do the thinking for him? Well, only one way to find out. 

And what better time than when they had some rare privacy?

—

“The flat isnʼt much, but please make yourself at home.”

“Where dʼyou want me to leave this stuff?”

“Just on the table is fine. Some coffee while youʼre waiting?”

That table Ignis was talking about was literally just ten steps away from the door, past a shelf for shoes and another one for books. And not five steps farther from the L-shaped kitchenette at the end of the…hall. The orange light which Ignis had flipped on on the way in was also…a bit dim and old-looking, and reminiscent, Gladio couldnʼt believe it, of his grandfatherʼs office in the Amicitia household, when he was still young and before Clarus had the entire room modernized for his use after Grandpa Amicitia passed away. In fact, the ceilings and the corners looked like they told of a time when they were still white. 

“Yeah,” Gladio replied, setting down the groceries while he explored the humble space with his eyes. “Sounds good.” Judging from the way Ignis carried and dressed himself, he had never expected that he could be living alone in an old place like this, where the outer room was only a little bigger than his own bedroom. “How long you been living here?” His bag rolled off his shoulder and landed into one of the four seats of the square table. 

“Youʼve noticed, havenʼt you?” Ignis chuckled, opening his cupboard for the creamer and the sugar while the coffee machine percolated. “Close to a year. A product of my hard-earned money and independence. Not the best one for receiving guests, I understand, but I hope youʼll allow me to make up for it with my cooking.”

Gladio chuckled, clipping his cap to one of those hooks hanging around his bag and running his hands over his hair. “You could ask me for money with your cooking and Iʼll write you a check with my eyes closed.” Ignis was still busy collecting mugs and plates and spoons from overhead, his back turned… 

Ignis laughed as he started his approach, wiping his hands over his hoodie for extra measure. Sweaty palms arenʼt an ideal introduction. “I would hate to be that kind of person, Gladio,” he said, assembling the stuff for drinking. Gladio could barely feel anything over his thundering heart. Even his pulse sounded like war drums in his ears. He couldnʼt remember how to breathe… 

How he got to where he was standing, chest to back with Ignis. Ignisʼ shoulders tensed, and he thought the man had stopped breathing himself. He tried to be gentle, putting his hands as lightly as he could on his sleeves just to give him a better grasp of his position behind him. Ignis bowed. He was breathing now but…Gladio could hear it. 

“Gladio,” Ignis began, but followed with nothing but silence. Gladio waited, though. Unmoving, in case he needed to listen to what he was going to say, or if Ignis wanted to push his hands away. 

When he moved, it was only to unplug his coffee machine, and rest his hands on the countertop while he was still mastering himself. Gladio took that as a sign that he was still…well, not unwanted. 

He slid his right from Ignisʼ sleeve down to his fingers; heʼd always wondered how they would feel in his. He drew himself up to smell his hair closely before he could stop himself. Mint, and clean. Ignis shuddered, tilting his head back, as if towards him. 

That was when Gladio slipped his other hand down Ignisʼ arm, and then around his side for a half-embrace. Ignis leaned into that, too, opening up his right so Gladio could press his first kiss on his temple, and leave a trail down to his cheek and then his ear. Ignis was finally relaxing. His other arm, he looped around to enclose him fully while he planted more kisses along his jaw, his neck—

“Gladio, wait!” Ignis came alive, whirling to meet him with wide eyes and flustered cheeks, hands flying up. Gladio stopped and pulled back for a little space, but even then, he didnʼt loosen his arms around him, or move his umm…lower body where it met with Ignisʼ. 

Ignis breathed out, staring wildly at his eyes. “Th…this um…” He looked down to Gladioʼs chest and back up to his face, disbelieving how closely they both suddenly were. He cleared his throat. “This is all um…r, really q, quite unnecessary! Gladio,” he swallowed down a rock, “w, we donʼt have to do this.” 

“What are you saying?” Gladio chuckled, and the fact that he could still find the humor to laugh and smile meant they were going somewhere, right? “You think Iʼm only doing this ‘cause weʼre alone? And you invited me for dinner?” Well, yes, but thatʼs only a small part of it, of course. “I mean, it does set the mood.”

“Gladio,” Ignis sighed, shaking his head as he dropped his eyes. “That isnʼt my intention.”

“Thatʼs not how I think of you either, Ignis,” Gladio said to ease him. When Ignis chose not to respond, though, he had to ask, “Dʼyou want us to stop?” If Ignis did, though, he wouldnʼt lie, he would be very disappointed, that he only had so little time to hold him and leave him kisses…Ignis hadnʼt even kissed him back yet. 

Or looked at him again. Ignis seemed like he was more interested in the Crownsguard logo emblazoned on his hoodie. “I wonʼt lie…and Iʼll admit that it feels good,” he said after a few false starts, finally raising his face to him, those lush green eyes looking straight into his soul. “But, Iʼll let you decide what that means for now.” In other words… 

“Ignis,” Gladio raised his right to stroke Ignisʼ cheek with the back of his fingers. “I, if you want us to stop—”

“Trust me,” Ignis chuckled, pressing Gladioʼs hand to his cheek, “youʼll know.” He always had a talent for making himself clear, after all. If that was the case, then who was Gladio to be modest about _his_ intentions still? 

He allowed himself one last smile. Then taking a deep breath, he finally leaned over, and touched his lips to Ignisʼ waiting ones. Lightly at first, then more firmly when the man that he held didnʼt fight him. Ignisʼ lips were…softer than he expected, and ready. 

This wasnʼt his first kiss—Gladio could tell with the way he parted his lips when he started nipping at them so he could kiss his mouth. Even though he shuddered and seemed to melt in his arms, when Ignis captured him with a hand by the back of his head, he knew he knew what he was doing. 

He must have burned through time just kissing Ignis, both of them renewing one after the other, sucking harder, moving faster. When Ignis clawed at his hoodie for purchase, Gladio parted long enough only to catch his breath and shuck his jacket. 

Ignis found better appreciation with the straps of his muscle tank, which he could grab with his hand and yank Gladio back to his lips. There was nothing clean and fine about their kissing, both of them going in hard and heavy, whatever could satisfy theyʼre deep-seated longing. Even when Ignis pulled away briefly to chase his breath and his heart, Gladio proceeded to leave wet kisses on the corner of his lips, his chin, under his jaw and the crook of his neck. 

Ignis whispered his name. Gladio came back to receive his lips, and to be captured selfishly with both of Ignisʼ arms, one of them digging its nails into his left shoulder, striking panic into Gladioʼs heart. 

He broke away with a cry. “Hey, ease off on the back!”

“Iʼm sorry!” Ignis gasped in alarm, retrieving his hands. 

Both of which Gladio captured in a single grasp held between them while he pressed another greedy kiss onto Ignisʼ mouth. Ignisʼ arms tried to fight for purchase so Gladio lashed his other arm around his back to bring them chest to chest, which seemed to settle the needy Ignis. Gods, what he would do to get used to this… 

They pulled apart after what felt like a lifetime. Ignis looked dazed by their little marathon of kisses, though his lips were still parted, leaving more room for more passion. 

Gladio tested Ignis again, running his tongue over the circle of his lips. He responded with a quiet moan and bated breath, stirring a heavy ache between his legs. He wanted to hear that again—in louder crescendos, and in his name. 

“I, Ig…” he stammered, swallowing thick spit. “Ignis—”

Ignis silenced him with a finger on his lips, rewarded Gladioʼs obedience with a tender brush of his thumb along his lower lip. 

“Wait for me in the bedroom,” he whispered, sending shivers up Gladioʼs spine. “Iʼll just lock up.”

—

They forgot all about dinner.

Which was to say—they forgot all about Ignisʼ new recipe. As for dinner, they subsisted with several pieces of gourmet chocolate, fruits, cold sandwiches, coffee, whatever they could bring into the bedroom and consume using each otherʼs body parts as dishes—a sport that lasted them a surprisingly long time. 

Giving Gladio a good opportunity to finally satisfy his curiosity about what his crush was like in bed. There were three things he discovered, then, about Ignis: one was that his nipples were very sensitive, the right more than the left, automatically making it Gladioʼs favorite nipple. He also learned that Ignis had a naughty side to himself (sexy librarian, anyone?) where he enjoyed watching Gladio pleasure and tease him. As for the third one, it was the most important factoid that Gladio would ever remember: Ignis liked being taken pinned between his weight and another surface. Heʼd lost count of the number of times Ignis had sung out his name in such a position, begging and whimpering while he plowed into him as fast as his need drove him. 

Even now, in the silence of their post-coital intermission, he could still play it in his head, as loudly and clearly as if it was happening for real. Gladio laid down on his side, smiling dreamily at his…not-so-secret thoughts—their effects, after all, quite obvious on his rousing cock. He decided he would ask Ignis to stroke it again later—that was the fourth thing he found out about his lover for the night: he was _amazing_ with his hands. 

For now, though, he stared up idly at the shadows of Ignisʼ bedroom, cast by the vintage night lamp sitting on his work desk. He had one of those miracle hands feeling up and down his abs while Ignis peppered tiny little kisses along his back…until he stopped. His hand stopped, too. That was actually the thing that brought Gladio out of his reverie. 

He shifted a little on his side, trying to catch Ignis over his shoulder without having to raise his head. That act of laziness had somehow saved him from a broken neck when Ignis suddenly pushed him to lie flat on his chest as he clambered up to his knees. “Whut the—” 

And then smothered his face to the pillow while Ignis reached for something theyʼd left on his desk before they stripped each other of their clothes. Gladio became hyper-aware of Ignisʼ flaccid manhood almost next to his ear. There it stayed for as long as Ignis took to fetch his items of interest until he crawled back to straddle Gladio, and bend over closely to his back…ah! 

“These are feathers,” Ignis said, his weary voice colored with soft surprise. Gladio started to chuckle deeply in amusement, causing his upper torso to bounce with his delight. Lifting his shoulders a little, he finally managed to turn around to see Ignis with his glasses again and his phone, the flashlight app switched on. 

He traced it along Gladioʼs back, running his hand shamelessly over the expanse of it, as if he hadnʼt had a moment where he almost burned alive just by touching the back of his hands. “Oh, I see now,” Ignis went on. “This whole thing, itʼs…”

“A bird,” Gladio completed for him, smiling when Ignis finally remembered he existed. “A bird of prey, but of no particular species. But from what my grandpa told me when I was still a kid, itʼs a legendary bird that once existed during Gilgameshʼs lifetime.”

“The Crest of the Shield,” Ignis confirmed his knowledge. He nodded. “Iʼve read about it, and Iʼve seen it in some old paintings. But Iʼve never seen a real one up close, and much less one thatʼs still in the making. No wonder you told me to ease off on the back.” His curious hand returned to the back of his left shoulder again, as if to bury his fingers in Gladioʼs tuft, if it were real. “Until I saw these colored ones, Iʼd thought the outline was like the scales of a lizard.”

“Did you totally just have sex with me so you could look at my tat?”

Ignis offered him a chiding smile. No more of that blushing guy who didnʼt know what to do with his hands when Gladio started kissing him. The Ignis he knew was back, except naked and very, very into him. “Itʼs a definite bonus,” he admitted. 

Growing tired of his uncomfortable position, Gladio finally tapped at Ignisʼ leg so he could turn to his back. Ignis raised himself just high enough to give him the room he needed to move—then mounted him again, this time taking both their limp shafts in one hand to play with. “See this guy here?” Gladio stretched out his left arm as far as he could (Ignisʼ bed was a tight fit and the wall was already next to it) so he could point at the beak of his Crest extending over his shoulder. “Thatʼs the head.” Obviously. 

But Ignis still bent over closely enough to brush the image with his fingers. “And these are going to be feathers, too,” he continued, showing the inked lines along the back and the inside of his forearm. 

Ignis inspected those, too. “Itʼs so fascinating.” From his voice, Gladio could tell that he was being sincere. “How long will it take you to complete the Crest?”

“Depends,” Gladio said, shrugging. He folded his arms under his head while Ignis went back to their cocks, holding them together as if to see which one was bigger. There was no competition about it, though, Gladio was definitely the winner here. “Still donʼt know my capacity. My dad, though…” He trailed off, counting numbers in his head while he looked ponderously at the ceiling. “Think he said it took him 10 months…but I remember him also saying the first ink they used on him also triggered an allergic reaction.”

Ignis hissed. This time, he was running his fingers up and down the length of their cocks with a lazy pressure. “How unfortunate,” he noted. “And for an old noble family such as the Amicitia, I donʼt imagine you have any second options for your Crest, do you?”

“Honestly? Iʼm just glad the ink worked on my skin.” Gladio grinned. Ignis smiled back and shook his head, now running a light finger over the slit of Gladioʼs head. He jumped. “Stop that!”

“Why?”

“It tickles!”

“You’re really out here exposing your weaknesses to me?” Ignis laughed from the back of his throat, shifting back a little to find his fruits with his other hand. Gladio sucked in a deep breath when he gave them a gentle squeeze, shifting his hips as if to take control of the pleasure riding up to his belly. His exhalation came through with a deep, drawn out moan. “A master of combat but not so smart in the sheets, are we?”

Gladio shook his head, smiling dreamily at the man who literally held his nether regions captive. “Not to you, Iʼm not,” he said. When Ignis grinned almost shyly, he knew he hit him on the soft spot. “I go back tomorrow to the artist, actually,” he went back to the topic. Ignis turned to him with rapt attention. “Next time youʼll see me, Iʼll have more feathers on my wings.”

“And you really chose tonight to have sex with me.”

Gladio shrugged. “You invited!” A quick right darted to save his ribs from a cruel jab from Ignisʼ fingers. “What, itʼs true!” he laughed, capturing that offending hand to entwine his fingers around its digits and carry it to his abdomen. “Who invited me to dinner?”

“Dinner, not sex.”

“You licked the chocolate right out of my pecs, donʼt lie to me.”

Ignis groaned with an immaculate roll of his eyes. “There is no arguing with you.” Gladio laughed. “How long will you be in there tomorrow?” Back to it again, then. 

“For as long as Iʼm still lucid and not mad with pain,” he answered easily enough. Ignisʼ thumb from his free hand began to knead the base of his cock. “Whyʼd you ask? Gonna miss me?”

“I might,” Ignis conceded, tilting his head sideways. “But obsession with your tattoo aside,” Gladio cracked up in loud laughter, “Iʼm sure it wonʼt be an odd sight, despite our present naked circumstances, for a concerned friend to be dropping in on you. I did promise you a new recipe before you seduced me into laying with you.”

“Quit with the guilt trippinʼ, I thought you liked my tat?” Ignis laughed this time. Gladio grinned. “Iʼll message you when Iʼm home. Canʼt promise to be a good company, though.”

“Understandable.” Ignis nodded. “I wonʼt dare demand any more from you, of course. Though now that thatʼs settled, do you have a copy of your aftercare instructions with you tonight?”

Gladio released Ignisʼ hand finally to point at his writing desk, until he remembered— “Ah shoot, Iʼm in your house, not mine.” He sighed, pressing his forearm to his forehead— “Oh, my phone.” Back to pointing at the desk. “I sent Iris a picture of it once.”

Ignis got off Gladio, then, to pad for his cluttered desk, pulling out a sheet of wet tissue from the pack heʼd brought along earlier to clean his hands before he grabbed Gladioʼs phone. Gladio couldnʼt believe how…how simply _perfect_ Ignis looked without clothes on. Long legs, slender hips, broad shoulders, toned arms… 

Ignis handed him the phone so he could pull up the picture. When he sat on his bedside to study the list, Gladio pulled himself up and sat himself flush behind Ignis, his own cock between his belly and the small of his friendʼs back. 

“So many curatives,” Ignis noted. Gladio ignored him, rooting around the sheets for the vanilla-scented lube theyʼd used earlier. He squirted some on his left hand as soon as heʼd found it, and welcomed himself to Ignisʼ manhood, wrapping his soaked fingers around its base and stroking up and down with a rhythm. 

Ignis shifted, spreading his knees wider to allow Gladio unimpeded access to his body while he planted kisses along the side of his neck. “Will you send me a copy of this, as well?”

“Leave me a reminder,” Gladio told him. Then closely to his ear, he whispered, “I wanna have sex with you again.” Quiet words that caused the man he held to shudder again. He felt his shaft twitching in response to that tease, and fought back a grin from it. 

When Ignis faced him, he was already starting to burn. His hips, he started to move with subtle thrusts to meet Gladioʼs downward motion. He licked his lips, then, and reached out to Gladio with his tongue. 

Gladio accepted, sealing his mouth with a deep kiss and leaving himself open for Ignis to taste with his tongue. He was still stroking his returning erection when the man pushed him back down the bed and climbed on top of him. Gladio took that as his cue to spread his legs and lift his knees. It wasnʼt often that he saw himself as the one being penetrated, but that only served to excite him more. 

That, and Ignis carrying both his wrists up over his head to restrain them with his vice-like grip. Gladio smirked at Ignisʼ rules and let out a satisfied groan. His length stiffened with anticipation. 

“Just one more thing before we continue,” Ignis said in quiet but urgent breaths. “Donʼt you dare say anything about this to Noct.”

“As if Iʼm gonna tell that punk anything!” Gladio barked in surprise, only to be smothered by another wet kiss, and a pair of fingers slipping through his waiting entrance. This time, it was Ignis who took full control of their lovemaking, and boy, was he hot and hard and oh-so-ready.

—

Mornings always start the same way for Gladio in the Amicitia household—wake up, stretch—

“Ah!” Flinch over some surprise bruises along the outside of his hips. What a way to wake up—not that this was the first time he was greeted by some body aches. 

But this was definitely the first time he saw this room—plain, cramped, with only one window over a neat work desk and his clothes folded up neatly on top of it. Which explained why he was completely naked except for the bedsheets. 

Gladio inspected himself in the morning light, looking out for any bruises but only found those ones at the sides of his hips, left there by someone with an iron grip who didnʼt want him moving too much. From there, it was easy to connect the dots: last night, he and Ignis had finally kissed and made love after so many years of mutual pining. He was in Ignisʼ bedroom in his tiny old apartment, though this was the first time he saw it in daylight. Before they fell asleep in each otherʼs arms, Ignis took him on his back, leaving the marks of his fingers around his hips when he held Gladio down so he could slide and push into him in a steady building rhythm. After that, he remembered that he left him another gift… 

There, on the inside of his right thigh, a love bite where no one but them will see it. Ignis had left it there after heʼd spent himself inside his mouth and sealed it with a long wet tongue thick with Gladioʼs seeds. 

What a memory to wake up to. Gladio grinned at his special bruise, running an easy thumb over the tender spot. Count on Ignis to be so cautious about his souvenirs…which reminded him: where _was_ Ignis? 

And was that…breakfast he was smelling? 

He put on his pants and padded out to see for himself. 

Ignis was there, all right, all dressed up, hair slicked and combed while he inspected the colorful, steaming dishes laid out on the table and worked to loosen the apron from his back. He looked so different, suddenly. Gladio could hardly believe that this was the same man who whimpered for him while he spread his legs readily. 

“You cooked breakfast?” Gladio questioned the obvious. 

Ignis turned to him with a ready smile. “And good morning to you, too, Gladio.” He went around the table to meet him. 

Gladio looped a lazy arm around his back as they kissed. “So do you do this for all the men you bring over?” It was a tease, really. Nothing more than that. 

But Ignisʼ face crumpled and he shook his head as if Gladio had just spat on his dignity as a person. “First of all, I donʼt invite just anyone over to my place. And secondly, Iʼm going to pretend you didnʼt just call me an animal.” He removed that arm from his back and used it to lead Gladio to his designated seat. “You have a long and arduous day ahead of you so you ought to fill up.”

“And you?” Gladio realized, then, as he sat obediently in the chair that there was only one clean plate laid out, and it was his. He looked up to Ignis, unable to erase the frown on his brows when he asked, “You’re not joining me?” He might have also sounded a bit disappointed. 

“Iʼve had my fill, and I have to run,” Ignis replied. Still, he apparently had enough time to sit on Gladioʼs lap and loop his arms around his neck, effectively cheering him up. “Iʼll make it up to you next time,” he promised. 

“Breakfast in bed?” Gladio grinned, holding him in place with his own arms. 

Ignis chuckled, running his hand over the tender fuzz of hair along his chin. “If thatʼs what it takes,” he whispered, in a voice that Gladio had only ever heard in the bedroom until then. He left him a tender kiss, then, massaging Gladioʼs lips with his own. Gladio felt satisfied. 

“Canʼt wait,” Gladio crooned, smiling closely. Another date with Ignis, a proper one, maybe in a weekʼs time, and then sex with him again. He couldnʼt believe his luck—it was more than he could ask for. Should they have done this sooner? They should have known they wanted each other just as badly. 

Ignis smiled back. With his hand, he ran his fingers over Gladioʼs bed hair, then traced invisible lines along his eyes and cheeks, the length of his nose bridge… 

“By the way, I have a question,” Ignis began steadily under curious brows. “How did you find out I was gay?” Ding ding! 

The sparkle of enlightenment flashed in Gladioʼs eyes. “Oh,” he sang with amused little nods, “so _youʼre_ gay.” Fifth thing he discovered about the man in the last 24 hours. Ignisʼ face went through several minute expressions of confusion, surprise, and dawning realization that heʼd given himself away before everything ended in a deep crease on his brows when he closed his eyes and huffed out a sigh. “Well, I do now.”

“So no one told you and you never knew.”

“I knew you were attracted to me,” Gladio shrugged, “somehow.” He brushed the back of his fingers over Ignisʼ cheek again. “I also knew you werenʼt straight which meant I had a chance with you.”

“Because youʼve never seen me around with a woman.”

“Nah, it was that joke Noct said about driving straight. Takes one to know one.” Gladio snickered when Ignisʼ head dropped forward almost in defeat. “Hey, itʼs fine. We had a great time last night, didnʼt we?” He pressed his forehead to Ignis hair and slipped a furtive finger around his side to jolt the man. 

He jumped, and glared at Gladio who laughed at him behind beaming teeth. “Stop that!” he snapped. “I havenʼt got time for your games.”

“One last kiss,” Gladio requested, adding in a tiny little nod. “For the road. Got a tough day ahead of me.”

Ignis sighed, shaking his head. Gladio knew heʼd won him over when that little smile danced back into his face. “Now, how could I say no to that?” he asked no one. 

When they kissed, Ignis made sure to press deeply, and Gladio took it all in, hanging on for as long as he was allowed until Ignis pulled away and rose from his lap. 

“Eat up, foodʼs getting cold,” Ignis said as he started gathering his effects from the empty seat next to Gladio. Gladio obeyed and started piling food on his plate. “Thereʼs coffee in the coffee maker and tea bags in the drawer under it. As for any leftovers—”

“ _If_ thereʼll be any leftovers.”

“—just leave them in the fridge. Iʼll deal with them when I get back. And one more request,” Ignis paused from his busy movements to brace his hand on the corner of his table. “Before you leave, please wash the dishes. You can leave the bedroom as it is but just wash the dishes.”

“What am I, some animal?” Gladio snorted between bites. “I have manners, too, you know?”

Ignis chuckled. “After how you took me last night, I wasnʼt sure anymore.”

“Um…” Gladio eyed him suspiciously, “not sure thatʼs a compliment.”

“Trust me,” Ignis winked at him, “it is.” Gladio felt his heart and his cock jump at that. “Oh! The keys.” He picked them up from beside Gladio and waved them by the Exineris keyring they were attached to. “Iʼll just get them from you when I drop by later.”

“How ‘bout that reminder?”

“Already done, of course.” Ignis smirked. “Iʼll be off now. Iʼll see you later.”

“Canʼt wait,” Gladio said. He watched him leave, then, taking a brief stop by his shelves to change his shoes before he started for the door— “Hey, Ignis!”

Ignis turned, one foot out the door. 

Gladio sent him off with a kiss in the air. “Stay handsome.” Ignis laughed, waved at him, and shut the door behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

One one night stand led to several other one night stands, rooted to Gladioʼs need for an extra pair of hands to care for his growing tattoo, with the promise of good food and great sex much later. In his own words, what happened in Ignisʼ apartment was the one night stand with a success story that spanned over a period of 6 months. 

The same time it took for Gladio to finally gain his full Crest. 

He could tell how excited Ignis was to see how the final design turned out when he hustled Gladio to his bedroom after dinner with his family. That was a thing that was rooted, too, on Gladioʼs tattoo; along with Ignisʼ second visit, Clarus had insisted on his place at the table with the rest of the Amicitia, as a way of expressing the familyʼs gratitude for his help with his son. Ignis accepted, of course, and from then on, it was obvious to everyone involved that he and the Master of the Amicitia Household had plenty in common. Ignis was a bright man, after all, who applied himself to so many conversational pieces. He was a captive audience for Clarusʼ wine-tasting lessons, history lessons, stories which Gladio and his sister Iris had heard _countless_ times. Still, Gladio couldnʼt complain—whatever made Clarus happy to have Ignis over made him happier. 

“Gladdy, I know a secret,” Iris whispered to him loudly once while they were in the cellar, and Gladio was poking around for this vintage Clarus swore he had that Ignis would be delighted to try on the Shield of the Kingʼs behest. 

“What?” Gladio almost snapped impatiently. It was drafty in that old room and those ancient walls were driving his nose crazy. 

“I know you and Iggy are _b-o-y-frieeends_!” A singing accusation. 

Gladio jumped straight to his height (he swore his back popped with the action) and shushed his sister with a finger on his lips and maybe some spittle in his panic. “You shouldnʼt be talking about things like that!” he hissed. Besides, he and Ignis hadnʼt sat down to talk about themselves yet, though he was already blushing at his sisterʼs direct talk. 

“Why not?” Iris frowned with a full-on pout. “My classmate talks a lot about his sisterʼs boyfriend and the places they go to.”

“Yeah? Well, youʼre both still too young to be talking about these things!”

“Why?”

“Because I said so!”

“ _Why?!_ ”

Gladio hissed at her to be quiet again when Irisʼ impatient stubbornness reverberated throughout the room. “Iris,” he sighed, placing his hands over her tiny shoulders in an appeal for her reason. “Because this is between me and Ignis. Itʼs like…itʼs like if you and your best friend have a secret only both of you can understand, you wonʼt want me poking my nose on it, right?”

“But itʼs obvious you and Iggy like each other.” Iris shrugged under the weight of his hands. “Donʼt you love him?”

“Of _course_ , I do,” Gladio insisted to his baby sister. At that time, he made a mental note to ponder about the weight of that statement. Which he did, of course. “Heʼs my boyfriend, after all.” That, too. “But…but itʼs rude to talk to other people who arenʼt your brother like this. Donʼt ask me why.”

“Why!”

“I said—!” Gladio clicked his tongue and sighed at the Little Amicitia. She covered her lips while she ate her grin but failed to pretend she wasnʼt smiling, anyway. Sometimes, she really was too much for him. “Okay, hereʼs a deal: you keep quiet about this, you help me find Dadʼs wine, and Iʼll tell you one secret about me and Iggy. Got it?” To his relief, Iris acquiesced easily enough. 

Immediately that night, he did his homework and considered the time he and Ignis had been spending with each other since the time they bared themselves with their feelings. Literally. He understood, then, that by and large, they _were_ practically two people already doing couple things: meeting in secret, hugging, kissing, talking openly about their sex lives and even getting themselves tested to make sure they hadnʼt gotten anything undesirable from their previous partners. Going out on dates, buying or making each other gifts, calling and messaging each other everyday…it was just something they agreed upon mutually without need for words. 

And now, Ignis moved with the freedom of being a part of the family. He took the liberty of opening Gladioʼs door and nudging him in with a slap on his ass which he later groped. 

“Hey!” Gladio clicked his tongue at Ignis, warning him with a finger while his boyfriend locked the door. “No sexy things until after the first week.” A reminder of their agreement from months back. 

“So control yourself.” Ignis wasnʼt about to be defeated just because he was going against their rule. “Now strip. I want to see it. Now.” He switched on all the lights in Gladioʼs room—the little spotlights on the corners of his ceiling, that big round one in the middle—and made his way to Gladioʼs closet to retrieve the curative kit he had prepared for tonight from a few days back. 

Gladio left him to his business with a roll of his eyes and an amused smirk. “Way to treat me like meat,” he jested. Anyway, he was already pulling his shirt from his pants and undoing the buttons from the bottom up. Ignis crossed his arms and waited. 

With the last button out, he turned around and shrugged off his shirt. “Well?” The way he spoke, he made a conscious effort to add a little note of impatience to sound a little less attached to his new ink. As any teenager his age, though, he was, of course, quite anxious about what other people would say about his appearance, and especially his boyfriend. He tried to look back as subtly as he could. 

Couldn’t see anything, of course, because he didnʼt want to be too obvious. But what his eyes couldnʼt catch, his ears picked up; Ignis had huffed so quietly while a light hand touched him a little on his side, near the lower part of his sensitive back where the new ink was stitched in under a plastic wrapping. It was the tail of the bird, fanned out to cover the back of his waist. 

And it was beautiful, Ignis said. “Iʼve always known it will be a work of art but to see it personally…” How could Gladio not smile at that compliment? Feel his chest swell with something sweet and warm? Six months of on and off pain, determination and dread, endurance and weakness peaking and sinking one after another…six months isnʼt nearly enough to turn a baby to a child but to him, those six months under the needle felt like a lifetime steeped in war. A war against and for himself. “These fine details are amazing. The Crest looks so alive…”

“Wait ‘til you see me move with it. _Thatʼs_ when it takes flight,” Gladio boasted with an arrogant smirk. 

“Brave words,” Ignis jabbed, though still largely distracted by the finished artwork on Gladioʼs skin. “Turn around, then. I want to see it.” Those tail feathers werenʼt the last thing that was painted onto him. 

Over his left shoulder, even the head of the striking bird had become fully realized from when it was conceived half a year ago—but its feathers were grown two sessions back. Its eye, though, was left for last. 

And now Ignis looked closely into its iris, his breath tickling Gladioʼs exposed nipple, making him shiver and smile. A pleasant distraction from the raw skin under the plastic. Those painkillers were probably starting to wear off. “Heʼs done,” Ignis observed, looking up to Gladio. He couldnʼt help but smile, either. Heʼd been through all of it himself—well, not since day 1 but these wings, if it werenʼt for Ignisʼ dedication, he wondered how they might look like now. It was easy to ask his family, even the help, to assist in the care of it and to be gentle about it. But he couldnʼt imagine any of them to carry the brand of tenderness and concentration of a Scientia. 

Ignis chuckled. “Scared heʼll fly away?”

“Iʼm not gonna lie, but I did send a quick prayer to the Astrals before I felt the needle,” Gladio laughed. That was an Amicitia superstition heʼd shared once. “But,” he gestured to his Crest, “it’s already been five hours and heʼs still there.” And his skin still felt on fire. 

“Congratulations,” Ignis said. 

“It feels good,” Gladio shared. “Thatʼs another test passed.” He turned to his right fist to clench it, watch how the feathers shift with his muscles. “A part of me feels like itʼs shed its own feathers, like itʼs been reborn into something better. Stronger.”

“A truer Shield.” If there was one thing he loved about being with Ignis, it was how the man understood how important his heritage was to him. To him, it wasnʼt just a conversational topic. It was a part of…everything about them. 

Gladio smiled and nodded. “A truer Shield,” he repeated. He placed a hand on Ignisʼ back, giving him the cue to take a few inches closer to him. “And I couldnʼt have done it without you.”

“Some thanks is certainly in order,” Ignis agreed. Gladio laughed softly. 

“Think Noct would like it?”

“As he should.” Ignis shrugged. “It is his, as much as it is yours. And ours.”

“Canʼt wait for him to see it after his retreat.” Gladio grinned, feeling his own chest heave with anticipation. Ignis was right—the crown prince was as much a part of this as he was. He was the reason for this Crest, after all. “I feel like Iʼm more ready to take on the job to protect him now!”

“You look the part,” Ignis commended him, securing his own hands just over Gladioʼs ass so he wouldnʼt have to touch any part of the ink. 

Gladioʼs heart was bursting. At 19, he finally looked the part that his younger self was only rehearsing for. Things just got so much real now. 

They met in a kiss, Gladio raising a hand to hold Ignis in place just under his ear. A series of gentle kisses just to taste each otherʼs lips that still left him and his arousal wanting more. This was an important day in his life and he wanted to celebrate it in style with Ignis. 

Duty over desire, though. He would have to satisfy himself with Ignisʼ kisses and fleeting touches for now. 

“Iʼll start,” Ignis prompted him, moving him close to his bed so he could sit on it while Gladio stood, putting the tattooʼs bottom just perfectly at the level of his eyes. “Donʼt get aroused.”

“Iʼll try, but I canʼt promise,” Gladio teased. Already his erection was a little half-hard, and that was just with Ignis sliding down his trainers to the middle of his ass. No briefs tonight, less complications that way. “Donʼt kiss it,” he warned despite the excitement pumping his heart. He better settle down. 

From behind him, he heard Ignis click his tongue and sigh heavily. “Iʼm not the lascivious one here,” he reminded him, for which Gladio burst out in glee. Ignis was right, of course. “Now hold still and control yourself. One last week of celibacy and you can have all that you desire.”

“Oh?” Gladio smiled widely, looking over his shoulder while Ignis worked the tape and the plastic carefully off his skin. He couldnʼt see much beyond his hair but he could imagine his brows and lips pulled tight with focus. “Sounds like a promise of something fun and exciting.”

“Please,” Ignis breathed a little easier now with the covering undone. Gladio shuddered slightly when some air finally graced his inked back, though it stung with a featherʼs touch from the pulled adhesive. “Donʼt I always let you have your way with me after healing?”

“Talkinʼ as if you donʼt enjoy the things I do to you,” Gladio snickered. He wished he could see the look on Ignisʼ face because he knew the man would be grinning, as well. “Could put your neckties to good use, again.”

“Pardon?” Ignis looked up from his work with blinking eyes, his fingers damp with the ointment he was spreading on the birdʼs tail. 

“What?” Gladio grinned. “You’re lookinʼ at me as if you donʼt enjoy being tied down.” An accidental discovery, because Ignis couldnʼt keep his hands and fingernails to himself and Gladio was still, well, healing. They had a lot of fun that night. 

Ignis stuttered, “Uh, itʼs,” cleared his throat and glared at his ink again, pushing on with his work, “it’s okay. I donʼt mind it.” Gladio laughed, again. “Donʼt move too much,” he muttered. “If you wish to tie me down, thatʼs your decision.”

“You’re really gonna pretend to be the shy type now after six months of having constant sex with each other?”

“Iʼm just saying, if it arouses you better to see me tied down then you should do it.”

“Hey, between the two of us, Iʼm the one sucking your dick here. I know how hard and excited you get when your hands are bound.” 

“Thatʼs a lie.” He could hear him giggling, though. 

“You keep tellinʼ me Iʼll know when you donʼt like a thing and Iʼm telling you, this isnʼt it.”

“Whatever you say.” More shyly this time. Thatʼs exactly what Gladio thought. 

It wasnʼt long until Ignis could hide under the cover of his tasks, though. That facade was something else Gladio could tease him with, he thought, but he gave the guy a break since he was here on his own free time, lending him a much-needed hand. “Okay.” He cleared his throat, moving in front of Gladio, wiping his hand on a towel. “Sit down. Donʼt raise your pants.”

“Could just take ‘em off.”

“What did we say about sexy things?”

Gladio chuckled. “Not this week.”

Ignis was smirking as he crouched in front of Gladio and gently began to pry the plastic from the birdʼs head. “Thatʼs what I thought,” he muttered. 

A deep silence rolled in easily after those words, settling over them like a weighty blanket in a cold winterʼs night. 

Ignisʼ face was so close to his, but so detached from any attention and distraction that he couldnʼt even notice how much Gladio was staring at him. He was beautiful, Gladio thought. In a different way that women were beautiful. Everyday, whenever he and Ignis met, he was always struck with how handsome he looked in his typical sharp suit and perfect posture. 

But this was different—eyes that were green as a spring meadow practically unmoving, brows quirked just so…itʼs a rare moment to look more deeply into Ignisʼ character. This was that part of him that everyone knew but very few have been allowed to watch at work closely. Something so precious and intimate like that, Gladio couldnʼt help but think of beauty. It was different from the secret faces Ignis exposed to him and him alone behind doors, when he came or he begged Gladio to come inside him. This was…this was better. This was Ignis. 

The plastic came off. Ignis whistled. Gladio jumped and covered his perked nipple when his breath tickled it. Ignis started, covering his mouth despite the laughter that shook his shoulders. “My apologies!”

“What did we say about sexy things?” he echoed their mantra cheerfully. 

With the eye set free now, Ignis proceeded to shake one of the vials in his little kit and rub it in his palms to warm the liquid. 

“You gonna miss this?” Gladio asked all of a sudden. 

“Hm, I might,” Ignis answered after some consideration. He dabbed some of the curative onto the pad of his finger and tapped gently on the new eye. “Itʼs been quite the journey, seeing this come to life.”

“And now you get to see it every day of your life.” Gladio grinned. 

Ignis sealed the vial when he was finished. He looked up to him and smiled back. “Gladio,” he began, apropos of nothing, shifting back his glasses. “There is something Iʼd like to speak with you about.”

“Hm?” So serious all of a sudden. He watched Ignis wipe his hand on the towel, then fold it neatly to be set aside, next to his little medic bag. 

He looked up to him, still crouching. “This past few months have been…quite fun, to say the least.”

“Hey.” Gladio moved as if he wanted to back up from Ignis, getting in a bit of a panic. “The hell you talkinʼ that way for?”

“Let me finish talking.” Ignis clicked his tongue. 

Gladio bit his lips. 

Ignis frowned at him, his own lips pursed slightly. “Fine, I concede I may have started off on the wrong foot _but_ ,” he eyed Gladio, “it changes nothing of the fact that I have enjoyed it all. Whether it is in due to your company, the sex, the messages you send me everyday…” He paused. 

Gladio waited for his words, holding onto his eyesight. 

Finally, Ignis moved, taking again the kit beside him to fish inside it. “If you would have me…I would like for us to continue on like this.” From there, he produced a simple black necklace, still sealed in its tiny plastic bag, made out of crystal beads interspersed by a pair of golden skulls along its length. The pendant looked like a plain X, studded with the same crystal stuff and attached to the rest of the accessory by more of the beads and then another two skulls, slightly bigger than its siblings. He recognized it easily from the weekend market where he and Ignis shopped for Noctisʼ pantry. It had caught his eye but he had left it on the table when Ignis arrived and announced he was done. 

And now here it was, being offered to him like a proposal…oh shit. “Gladiolus Amicitia,” Ignis went on evenly, “would you give me the pleasure of being your boyfriend officially?” Now this…this was completely unexpected. 

And in all honesty, Gladio didnʼt know how to react. One part of him was definitely all sorts of happy and excited. It was one thing to be playing a relationship by ear, it was another to have it decreed by consent! Another part of him was screaming—this was just completely like Ignis to do. Who knew the manʼs stiff (haha) ways could look so adorable in a different context! As for the other part, however… 

“Gladio. Is everything okay?”

“Uh?” Gladio was still staring dumbly at his apparent new boyfriend watching him closely. 

“You have been gaping at me like a salmon since I asked and now Iʼm worried that I should start worrying…”

“No!” Gladio forced out a laughter suddenly, taking both of Ignisʼ hands, necklace and all, in both of his to squeeze them. An uncertain smile flickered on the manʼs face as a reaction. “Ignis, thatʼs not it. Itʼs just…” More laughter. Sheepish laughter. Ahem. “I…actually already thought weʼve been a couple since our third date.” Matched by a sheepish grin. 

Ignis eyed him curiously. “Third date? Thatʼs…” He thought quietly to himself. “Four months back! You mean you—” He stared at him. 

“I mean,” Gladio shrugged, kneading lightly along Ignisʼ knuckles, “weʼve sort of been dating exclusively ever since, right? And weʼve been hugging and kissing and making love…”

“And you didnʼt bother to say anything?” Ignis snarled at him. “I would have said yes!”

“See, I thought you did.” Gladio waved a finger to him. “But just…emotionally. And…with your body.”

“Neither of which means _explicitly_ ,” Ignis spat. “I have been weighing this decision for _months_ , Gladio! It is one thing to have a relationship, but it is entirely another to have a commitment and a sense of security.” Aw, how sweet. 

“Hey, donʼt be mad at me.” Gladio spoke softly as he carried Ignisʼ hand to his bare chest, right where his heart would be. “If anything, even if weʼd never become official and youʼd found someone else instead, I would have been happy to be a…whatcha call that, a paramour. As long as I could spend some time with you.”

“How supremely unsatisfying that would have been for me,” Ignis snorted. 

“Ah,” Gladio grinned at that, “I love me a monogamous man.” 

Ignis stared up at him for how lightly he was taking a decision that he had spent months on. Gladio figured some apology in style would be in order, but for now, his boyfriend gave in with a sigh. “Then Iʼm glad weʼre on the same page,” Ignis replied, lifting himself onto Gladioʼs left thigh to take his face in his hands, again. The necklace, Gladio set it beside him for the meantime. 

He wanted to embrace Ignis while they sealed their relationship in another kiss. Longer now, deeper this time. Ignis was always such a champion kisser, he thought. Sometimes, he was tempted to just receive those lips without doing anything, but heʼd tried that once and Ignis didnʼt like that. 

They always parted too quickly for him, as well. But at least Gladio knew where he could get more of that, now more than ever. Even then, he was still looking at Ignisʼ lips while Ignis toyed with his hair from the back as he mumbled, lovesick, “So, what should I start calling you? Babe? Honey? Sweetcakes? Chocobean? My…Iggywigglydiggly?”

“Try that last one in particular, you might just like my dagger up your hole.”

Gladio threw his head back with a roar of laughter.

“But thank you for reminding me about that,” Ignis went on smoothly, pushing back his glasses. “There are…some rules about that part of our relationship that I wish to discuss with you.”

—

Two weeks later, Noctis, along with the best friend Prompto Argentum, had finally returned from their school retreat. Three days later, training with Gladio had recommenced.

“We could tell them now, if youʼre ready,” Gladio posed to him. 

They spoke in whispers, despite being alone in the Citadel training room, particularly in the corner farthest from the door. Noctis and Prompto were still in the locker room, getting changed for todayʼs session. Gladio planned to start easy so as not to shock Noctisʼ body, and Prompto, as well, who wanted in on what he called an “exclusive royal gym package”. 

Or at least thatʼs what the echo sounded like across the quiet space. 

Ignis considered the question briefly in silence, watching out for both friends in case they should appear out of nowhere. “We should tell them now,” he decided, facing Gladio again. “And we ought to already be ready for this. Itʼs different now that weʼre official and no longer just in it for the sex. Noct deserves to know this,” he explained. “He is our prince, he is involved in this as much as we are.”

Gladio nodded in full understanding. 

“Iʼll talk to him,” Ignis volunteered, brushing off some thread from the front of Gladioʼs hoodie. “Let me be the one to speak with Prompto, too, for that matter.”

“If you insist,” Gladio accepted. Idly, he reached over to Ignisʼ collar and pulled the pendant of his new necklace to his adamʼs apple. It was made from a simple silver chain with the smallest skull biting onto it, a gift from Gladio in return for the necklace. The images of the skulls really had nothing to do with their relationship, although it was Ignisʼ intention to still somehow pay tribute to the Crown even in a gift for his boyfriend, but Gladio wanted something to be thematic in both their necklaces. Thus: skulls. Also, they looked cool. 

It wasnʼt long before Noctis and Prompto had finally stepped inside the room, led by a deep, “ _Whoooah!_ ” from the civilian gaping at the walls. Ignis turned briefly at them before he nodded at Gladio to their direction. Prompto swooned on, “This place is _huge_!”

“Ehh, itʼs okay.” This was normal for Noctis, after all. 

“Hey, after training, could I take a few shots with my camera? Just for my personal portfolio!”

“Do what you like.”

“YES, thank you, Noct!!”

“Hey, hey, is this the proper way to be a host?” Gladio clicked his tongue and shook his head, full of disappointment while he and Ignis met them in the middle of the room. He flung a hand to the fresh face. “Heʼs your guest and heʼs excited to be here!” He and Prompto exchanged fists as a greeting. “You should show him around.”

“Huh?” Noctis raised a brow. In the meantime, Ignis and Prompto bumped fists with each other. “Thereʼs nothing here that youʼd miss if you literally just turn around on the spot.”

“Yes, youʼre right,” Ignis stepped in, bare arms crossed over the Crownsguard insignia on his tank top. “Except for the fact that the suits of armor here are some of the last remnants of its design from sixty years back and those spears on the walls are replicas of the first polearms that ever defended Lucis in an ancient war.”

“ _Rea-llyyyyy?_ ” Prompto gasped, starry-eyed. “You mean theyʼre real? Theyʼre really real?!”

“The suits of armor are.”

“Do they still work?! Hey Noct,” Prompto whirled at the bored prince, “do you put them on when youʼre going to fight?!”

“Of course not, that thing probably weighs more than Gladio!” Noctis spat at him, face incredulous. 

“We could try if you want, Prince,” Gladio offered. 

“Hey, you werenʼt supposed to take that seriously.”

“We can leave some time for Promptoʼs photos later,” Ignis suggested, drawing all attention to him, again. He _would_ keep a close eye on the program. “Let’s start with training for now.” Prompto pumped his fist, excited for his first day of royal pain. “Gladio,” Ignis turned to him, then, “you wanted to show them something.”

“Hm? Oh!” _That_ part of the program. Right—this training session, after all, was special for other reasons aside from Promptoʼs presence and Ignisʼ news. Gladio snapped his fingers for both Noctis and Promptoʼs attention, “Check out what I got,” before he turned and finally unzipped his hoodie. He wore nothing else within it. 

So that when he dropped it, it was almost like he really was unfurling his wings to fly. He wished he could see Noctis and Promptoʼs faces, especially after the latter of the two sung out another great, “ _Whoah!_ ” at the sight and the span of his tattoo, but heʼll have to count on Ignisʼ retelling later, when they were alone. He lifted his hands to the top of his head to stretch his wings. Catching his boyfriendʼs look, he winked at him in secret. Ignis rolled his eyes and shook his head, hiding a smirk. 

“Gladio, that looks really cool!” Noctis said. 

“Cool?! Itʼs awesome!” Prompto cackled triumphantly. “Wait, wait, stay there! I need to get this with my camera.” 

He was gone before anyone could stop him, and was back before anyone could call him back. Gladio knew a compliment when he saw one and was happy to do a few poses for him to flaunt the extent of his ink, let the bird come to life. Over to his side, Ignis watched with mild amusement, stepping next to Noctis who looked on quietly in some awe. 

“Last shot!” Prompto promised. Truth be told, Gladio didnʼt mind a couple more, he was proud of this ink! 

“Hey Prompto,” Noctis interjected. “You sure youʼre just taking pictures of the tat and not the guy? Youʼre acting kinda weird.”

“ _Itʼs not like that—_ ,” Prompto whirled at the expressionless prince. “I totally donʼt have a crush on Gladio!”

“If I totally had a crush on Gladio and I wanted to hide it from him, thatʼs totally what Iʼd say.”

“Hey, stop talking about Gladio as if Gladio isnʼt here,” Gladio warned them lightly. 

“Is something the matter, Noct?” Ignisʼ tempered voice broke through like a knife slicing butter. “You’re looking a little distracted.”

“Huh?” Prompto piped up, just as Gladio turned around finally to look for the prince. “Noct, could it be youʼre the one who has a crush on Gladio?”

“Thatʼs not it!” Noctis jumped at what may as well be an accusation, seething at Prompto. It was then that he caught Gladio looking, folding his arms across his chest. He sobered up, then. Turned to Ignis and Prompto looking for a way out but both of them were waiting for him to explain himself, too. “I…dammit.” Defeated. Noctis burned now, pouting while he played with a lock of his hair just below his ear. 

“What is it?” Prompto sang. 

“Itʼs not a crush,” he insisted behind bared teeth. “Itʼs just…I just…” Whatever it was, it led his eyes back to Ignis but found no escape from him, still. Noctis snarled, dropping his gaze altogether with a sulky frown as he finally revealed, “I just hope one day Iʼll be the kind of king whoʼll deserve that Crest.” By the time heʼd finished, the last few words had come through in a hurried mumble. 

None of which was what Gladio was expecting—from the _prince_ at that! Noctis Lazy Caelum was what he called him once. All this time, he thought the guy was just going through the motions of his training and his work with Ignis, doing whatever it took just to get them off his hair and leave him alone. Despite the fact that he had displayed some obvious improvements—Noctis wasnʼt an idiot, after all—Gladio wondered why he never considered that there was something about him that was into what he was doing. And for a prince like that, how could he not feel prouder of all the pain he withstood? 

“Crest?” Prompto sputtered cluelessly. “What crest?”

“The Crest of the Shield of the King,” Ignis explained. “Thatʼs what the tattoo is.”

“Huh? The Crest? Is the tattoo? So then, itʼs not just for looking cool in front of girls?”

“Itʼs a pledge of allegiance to the Crown and oneʼs duty. When Noct becomes King of Lucis, Gladio will stand at his side as his Shield.”

“Ah, so like…a bodyguard?”

“More than that but itʼs a good start.”

Ignisʼ calm explanation was a great contrast to Promptoʼs rapid fire questions and blazing childish wonder. With his boyfriend involved, there was no need for Gladio to step in, obviously. 

Better for him to approach his prince and clap a heavy hand on Noctisʼ shoulder, letting him sink briefly at the weight of his grasp to rouse him from his deep thoughts. “Hey, donʼt give up the fight ‘til youʼve fought it,” he cheered him, tightening his grip to emphasize his support. “You will be that kind of king. And Iʼll make sure of it! Me, Ignis and Prompto.” He stepped back to rejoin Ignis who turned himself now to the conversation. “Weʼll be here to support you.”

“Gladioʼs right!” Prompto echoed, giving his best friend an encouraging slap at the back as he danced over to his shoulder. “Take it easy, have some faith in yourself!”

“And donʼt lose sight of yourself,” Ignis joined in, nodding when Noctis turned to him. “You’re a good man, Noct. With a good heart and the makings of a great king. Where you lead, weʼll follow.”

“Yeah! Me, too, me, too,” Prompto declared. 

“You guys…” There was the beginning of a great speech there, one that would set their hearts aflame and maybe their eyes acrying, but it was just typically Noctis to lose his words as he turned to each of them, as though theyʼd stolen them from him. Which, fine, metaphorically speaking, they did. Noctis let them have it, though, with a little sigh, scratching his head. “Thanks,” he muttered shyly. 

“Donʼt stress it,” Gladio reassured him, shaking his shoulder again while Ignis bumped his fist to the meat of his arm and Prompto faced him with exaggerated nods. There was no way Noctis could have hidden that little smile on his face from them. “Well, what are we standinʼ around here for? Cʼmon,” he indicated the room over his shoulder, “training starts now! We got a great king to make here.”

“Hey, stop that.” Noctis was flustered again. 

“A great king who eats his vegetables,” Ignis threw in because of course he would. 

“I said, quit it!”

—

After training, after theyʼd finished cooling down to the beat of Promptoʼs counting (which oscillated between really fast and really slow), Ignis followed Noctis and Prompto to the shower room while Gladio stayed back to set the place right.

“Huh?” And of course, thanks to the acoustics that governed the menʼs room and the training room, amplified by Promptoʼs gods-given energy, that put him in the perfect place to eavesdrop into a part of the conversation. “You and Gladio? You mean…Gladio likes boys, too?” Bless his soul, though, he didnʼt seem to be freaking out at the prospect of it. 

“Wow, I didnʼt know. I mean, a lot of his pictures online are with girls.” Well, a lot of them were also ones of him with his boyfriends at that time but everyone always thinks of them as just being good friends. “So you mean, all that time we were joking around about having a crush on Gladio…AHHH, Iʼm sorry, I didnʼt know!!”

Gladio flinched. The voice that shushed him, he was willing to bet it was Noctis. He wondered how Ignis was handling this. 

After that reinforced silence, Gladio received a message from the man himself. 

_Prompto has invited us all to dinner. Thereʼs a new Lestallum-style grill just 15 minutes from here that has caught his and Noctʼs attention. Weʼll wait for you in my car._

_Got it,_ he replied. _Just about finished with my work._

_Okay. Try to act normal when you get here._

_Donʼt worry, I heard Prompto from all the way here._

He locked the cabinets along the walls where they kept their training weapons, shut the lights and picked up his water bottle and purse from the floor on his way to the locker room. 

He may or may not have squawked and jumped when he caught Noctis waiting by the bench. For what it was worth, he did give Noctis a little start by his own reaction. 

“What the fuck, you caught a ghost or something?” Noctis hissed, running a hand over his heart. His embarrassment looked painful. 

“Depends on what the ghost looks like!” Gladio couldnʼt help but snap in a bid to avenge his own dignity. “What are you even doing here, shouldnʼt you be waiting in the car?”

“Hey, Iʼm supposed to be the one asking questions here,” the prince snapped back, finally pushing himself up to his feet. 

Gladio stopped. Well, he supposed he was. And he wasnʼt stupid, he could tell where he was coming from, if that earlier conversation was any indication. He just didnʼt expect Noctis to be stepping up like this for his friend. 

“So,” he began, looking lazy with a hand on his side, “Ignis told me.”

“You here to give me your blessings?” 

“Depends on you.” Noctis rubbed his nose a little with his finger. “Ignis looks happy with the decision.”

“Hey, Prince.” Gladio crossed his arms, then. “This isnʼt just me, okay? Iʼm not the only one wanting this between the two of us. Itʼs mutual.”

“Mhm.”

“Didnʼt think Iʼd have to go through you first.”

“Well, Ignis is old enough to make his own decisions,” Noctis said with a sloppy shrug, swaying his balance from one side to the next. “Doesnʼt mean I donʼt have to be concerned, though.”

“Ignis know about this?”

Noctis eyed him. “Why the hell would I tell him this?” Gladio cracked up. 

“You’re just scared to let him know you care!”

“Hey, shut up! And stop making this about me!”

“You know,” a smile rose at the corner of Gladioʼs lips, “when Ignis decided it was time to tell you, he said we ought to do it soon ‘cause you were involved in this as much as we were.”

“I didnʼt need to know that,” Noctis scowled, jamming his hands on the inside of his arms. He was red again. Gladio chortled. By now, he was pretty sure he would tell Ignis about this little chat later. “Seriously, I donʼt care what youʼll both do together, Iʼm just here for some insurance.”

“Awww, well, thatʼs sweet,” Gladio crooned, smirking at the younger prince. But no, seriously, it was. And also kind of touching. Today was a day of discovering new things about him, it seems. “Donʼt worry. Iʼll take care of Ignis,” he promised him. 

Noctis raised an immaculate brow at him and the sound of his words. Gladio lifted his own hands as a sign of his sincerity. He could swear more vows if the prince wanted, throw in some Henruit lines while he was at it, but he doubted Noctis would ever be interested in them. He was here for one, and only one thing. 

He shifted one foot forward, and eyed him closely. “You better.” He was watching him. After that, Noctis finally took his leave. 

Should he say heʼd survived a trial by fire? Gladio wanted to laugh. It was funny. Noctis was a skinny man, much smaller than him, but that was a threat if he knew of any. Still, he was glad for it. Always nice to see his prince actually do some standing up. 

He chuckled anyway, shook his head as he started finally for his locker. Dinner was going to be an interesting one.


	3. Chapter 3

No sooner had Gladio left Ignis in the bedroom than the man had put himself on the phone. Or at least, thatʼs what it looked like. 

Because he was still there when he stepped out of the shower in the hotelʼs bathrobe, sitting at the side of the queen-sized bed with a serious-looking facade despite the fluffy white robe he, too, had on. Outside, the thunderstorm they had just escaped still hadnʼt let up, black as a void in the midst of the warm lights of the room. 

He waited for Ignis to get off the phone, putting his side to the wall. He was down to his last few reminders, he could hear it despite Ignisʼ quiet voice. 

And yet even after heʼd hung up, Ignis found no relief in having dispensed his task. He tossed the phone aside, slipped off his glasses and pressed his head to the back of his hand. Gladio decided he ought to give him a few more moments alone before he interrupted—

“How much longer are you going to stand there and judge me, Gladio?”

Gladio straightened up quickly, red-faced. 

Ignis pressed his mouth to his hand briefly. Then sighed and finally sat up a little straighter, holding his hand out to Gladioʼs direction. Gladio smiled. 

He didnʼt come to him, which was surely bound to piss him off but he made his way calmly still to the mini-fridge under the divider with the drinking stuff. He pulled it open and produced a hand-sized square box. 

Ignis was watching him curiously, his reaching arm now down. Gladio nudged the door shut with his heel, and finally claimed his rightful place beside his boyfriend who scooted closer still, adjusting his glasses. “Wanna do the honors?”

Ignis did. He moved the plain copper box to his lap and pried the lid open. A simple round cake, only a little bigger than his hand, presented itself, with a chocolate coating, a dusting of gold and orange zest. He laughed, suddenly. 

“Happy anniversary,” Gladio greeted with a grin of his own. There was a bit of an inside joke there: for their celebration of their first (official) year, the plan was to have a 5-course dinner in this expensive seafood restaurant and then move to another high-end place which supposedly served the most luxurious chocolate cake in that side of Lucis. Unfortunately, theyʼd run out before Gladio and Ignis could find a table and Ignis had been quite honest with his disappointment. The next best thing, then, was this other place that had been serving Duscaean Orange Cheesecake since 50 years ago and was always a hit with Ignis. And then the storm came. Followed by a terrible traffic and some flooding in some areas. After half an hour of being stuck in the road, Gladio mentioned being near the hotel they were now staying at. And the rest was history. 

“How did you get this?” It wasnʼt the cake Ignis wanted but he was eager to bite into it, anyway. With a plastic fork, he cut a generous piece for himself and held it up to the light to inspect the layers. Brown, white, brown again but lighter. White again… 

Gladio didnʼt know these things. “While you were showering. I had the guy who picked up our laundry bring it over.” They had to park outside the hotel and make a run for it. Even the room was a rushed affair: Gladio didnʼt want something expensive but Ignis would be damned if they didnʼt spend the night together on their anniversary. “So?” he asked, as soon as Ignis had eaten his mouthful. 

A very intense next few seconds passed with Ignis deep in thought, chewing contemplatively. “I think I can make this at home.” A muffled remark. 

“Not the question I was asking,” Gladio chided him softly but didnʼt stop him, anyway, when Ignis unlocked his phone screen and began urgently typing his ideas into his note app. He welcomed himself to the fork, then, and pried himself a slender cut. 

“You wonʼt get anything out of that.” Ignis was still glaring at his screen. 

“Not a desserts kinda guy,” Gladio reminded him as he basically just sucked the cake down his throat. It was…chocolatey. Sweet? A bit fragrant. Chocolate. He cut another piece and served it to Ignis who turned suddenly. 

And poked himself with the sharp end of the fork. He had the look of a wronged taxpayer about him when he clicked his tongue at the accident, hissing as he touched his injured lip. “Gladio!” he snarled. 

“Iʼm sorry.” Gladio was cackling, though, despite the glare Ignis was giving him. “Here,” he shifted closer, leaving the fork with the cake in the box on Ignisʼ lap, “Iʼll kiss it better.”

Ignis still had that irritated look on his face when Gladio pressed their lips together. When he pulled back, Ignis licked his own lips before he pressed the back of his fingers where he was stabbed. “Better?” he asked. 

“Only because the cake is good,” Ignis conceded haughtily. So there was his answer. “But your lips taste better.” He brought his hand up to Gladioʼs cheek, then, feeling the bottom of his lips lightly with his thumb. Gladio always liked it when he did that. 

He picked up the fork again, and smeared some of the mousse onto his lips. Ignis grinned at his invitation and didnʼt wait to kiss him once more, sucking at what he could of the dessert before he lapped it clean off Gladioʼs face. He might have stopped breathing at that. Talk about being turned on. 

“You’re right,” Ignis told him suddenly, going back to his phone. “Some pink salt would be better.”

Gladio rolled his eyes. “You’re welcome,” he muttered. Ignis was snickering now, though. 

And heʼd finally set his phone aside on their night desk to give Gladio his full attention. Crisis averted. 

Gladioʼs lips quirked to a little smile while he copied Ignisʼ movements and stroked his lower lip back. “Feelinʼ better?” he asked in a quiet voice. 

Ignisʼ brows crumpled for a second. 

He sighed come the next, moving the cake beside his phone so he could take Gladioʼs left hand and place it on his lap in its stead. Rough, but knowing fingers played with his longer, thicker ones and kneaded at his palm. Soothing him as if to ask for his understanding. 

“Forgive me,” Ignis implored, finding his eyes again. “For all that I insist that tonight must be our night, here I am placing calls, anyway. And despite that, here you are. Cheering me up.”

“I know what youʼre going through, Ignis,” Gladio eased him, reaching with his free hand to comb a little at his soft fringes. This late, Ignis had been wearing them more to the side, the new layers of his hair giving it a lighter weight so that they didnʼt lay fully over his forehead. A style he gave his unequivocal approval to. “You said it yourself right from the start—Noct is gonna be a part of our relationship no matter what we do.”

“I worry about him, Gladio,” Ignis revealed his troubles, then. Not that there had been any need to hide it—right from the start, Gladio knew who that call was for, what was up with those reminders, as if they were for a boy younger than Noctis. “Iʼm seeing it again, heʼs becoming withdrawn again. Heʼs already asked me once about taking electives to postpone his graduation.” A classic Noctis move of delaying the inevitable. 

Gladio was familiar with it. Had had a few brushes with it that constantly left him infuriated and sour at the prince. He never did understand why he thought it was more preferable to be stuck in a moment than to suck it up, brave the danger and find a way to survive. Ignis was definitely more understanding of that behavior of his but Gladio would prefer that either of them had less of it no matter what excuses Noctis came up with. 

“What did you tell him?”

“The truth, of course.” Ignis shrugged. “He is our prince. Duty or not, I cannot lie to him. I told him of the councilʼs expectations after his graduation, what they always ask me about him.”

“What did he say?”

“Would you like to guess?”

Gladio didnʼt need to guess. He knew what he said: “Nothing.”

Ignis sighed more deeply, removing his glasses. “Now he barely leaves his bedroom unless it is necessary and leaves the whole place in a mess again. He barely spoke any word to me when I advised him to check all the windows in his flat to make sure the water didnʼt get in.”

“Heʼs missed the last two trainings, too,” Gladio added, partly for the sake of showing Ignis he wasnʼt alone in this problem. 

Ignis looked distressed to hear what he already knew, the burden heavy on his shoulders. He reached up to his hair, something he would never have done in public or with a styling product. Gladio reached to cup his cheek and he tilted his head into it, pressing that hand closer to his face. 

“I donʼt know how to help him, Gladio,” he confessed, voice ripe with anxieties despite the softness of it. 

“You do. We just…” Gladio shrugged this time, letting Ignis move his palm so he could press a deep kiss to the heel of it. “Gotta be there, you know?”

“He turns me away.”

“Yeah, youʼre not special.” It hadnʼt been his intention to make Ignis laugh but he did—a single cough, followed by a smile twisted with something heavy, maybe even painful. 

“Ouch,” he whispered, directing a worried look at Gladio though he could feel nothing but sadness through them. 

“Hey,” Gladio breathed, clicking his tongue as he pressed closer to his boyfriend and shaped both his hands to Ignisʼ jaw and cheeks. When Ignis tilted forward, he met him, forehead to forehead. “I didnʼt mean it like that…look, Noct has his own problems. So do you, so do I.” He pressed a hand to his inked chest. “But you canʼt solve my problems and Noct canʼt solve yours either. The best thing we can do is to be there for each other. If you keep trying to solve his problems, youʼll never let you both get stronger.”

“Itʼs just difficult.”

“I know,” Gladio assured him. But he really did, despite their differences in handling Noctis. “‘swhy Iʼm here, right? For the both of you.” If he hadnʼt been a part of the Crownsguard and the Amicitia bloodline, he wondered what kind of comfort he would have given his boyfriend. Steeped with duty, Ignis knew nothing of a life untouched by the Crown. 

Now he wore a face full of guilt, and he showed it truthfully to Gladio who watched him, waiting for his decision. “Where would I be without you, Gladio?” he asked so quietly. 

Gladio tried to cheer him up. “In your apartment? Maybe jacking off on your own.” He chuckled breathily when Ignis twisted his face. 

“How morbid.” Ignis shook his head. “With you here, I canʼt imagine it.”

“Thatʼs why Iʼm here, eh?” He smirked. “So you wonʼt have to.”

He couldnʼt describe that look Ignis flashed him after. Full of…full of love, and attention, fire in those green eyes. Lots of things, everything. 

Gladio moved his hands instinctively to the curve of Ignisʼ ass within his soft robe when Ignis mounted his legs and buried his fingers into his locks growing out of their usual short-cropped style. He kissed him, sucking a little at his lips again, until theyʼd both opened their mouths to lock into each other. As soon as theyʼd got a rhythm going, Ignis pressed himself flush against Gladioʼs front and started grinding his hips to the same beat. 

Without looking or breaking from their kiss, Gladio tugged the belt of his boyfriendʼs robe free and pulled at both sides to expose his belly. He reached within Ignisʼ cover after and found his cock easily, still soft but so warm, delightful in his hand. Like this, his fingers liked to toy with it, pinning it between two knuckles, pulling just a little, folding his middle digit over it. Ignis sighed within their mouths, moving his hips more slowly to give Gladio some more freedom for movement. 

They parted with a wet noise. Still hung about that brief high, Gladio dislodged one of Ignisʼ sleeves so he could plant a damp kiss on the pit of his arm and on his pectoral—a favorite thing for him to do. If anyone ever had the courage to ask him why he was…practically obsessed with Ignisʼ body…he wouldnʼt actually know how to answer it right. How could he explain that he had actually seen this body grow? Felt it harden in his hands, his mouth, his tongue? The first time they laid, Ignis still had some softness on his chest, his stomach, along his sides, even his thighs. 

Now he was practically cut like a sculpture, and yet he was still a work in progress. Not that Gladio had idealized any version of him, but he knew what continued training could do, how wielding long and heavy weapons could permanently change a bodyʼs physique. 

He would watch this body grow and change forever, if he could. And kiss every pore of it for as long as he was allowed to. 

Ignis was burning in his hand now, the man himself hissing and grunting while Gladio worked him. Those iron fingers of his now gripped him by the shoulder, hanging on while Gladio dipped low to find his favorite nipple and gave it its first wet tongue. Ignis jolted slightly with a gasp and a soft whimper. His half-hard erection flinched in his hand. 

“Gods,” Ignis groaned. “Please tell me you brought the lube.”

Gladio paused from his actions mid-kiss as he looked up to Ignis with a high brow. He looked flushed and nearly breathless, his glasses fogging up a little. “What am I, some animal?” That was a tease, of course. Ignis wasnʼt the only one who prepared for every situation here. 

He satisfied himself with a chaste kiss on Ignisʼ teat (he liked making him shudder) before he muttered to his skin, “Iʼll be right back.” Gladio had to help Ignis stand as he got up and padded to his backpack on the floor, practically tilting forward with all the stuff thatʼs in it. In one of those many zippers, he packed a special kit exactly for this emergency. The first time Ignis saw it, Gladio had to share a particularly embarrassing story of him and his second boyfriend that happened in the kitchen of this cabin they were renting. Ever since, he started carrying a…ready kit with him wherever he went. And Ignis vowed to never let him live it down. 

Now that same kit was going to save their lives and their date. Ignis took the time to shuck his robe and leave his glasses by the nightdesk. Times like this, it always tickled Gladio that he could still move logically even, though he was already protruding a little between his legs. 

“Switch the lights off while youʼre there?”

Gladio stopped mid-return and turned around to do as Ignis asked, leaving only one light at the farthest corner of the room. Ignis hated having sex with the lights on because they hurt his eyes and ruined the moment, but Gladio wanted something to see by. What a waste it would be if he couldnʼt feast on Ignisʼ body by sight, as well, after all. 

“And take that ridiculous thing off your shoulders, I donʼt want to see it.”

Gladio laughed, already peeling his robe. “Talk about being demanding!” And that, Ignis was. 

He almost couldnʼt believe it when he caught him with his phone between his hands again, squinting at the light. Gladio couldnʼt stop himself from snarling when he crossed his arms, robe still half on around his muscles. What a serious mood killer. 

“Not before you put that thing down,” he ordered. He knew Noctis was important to the both of them as their duty and their friend—but damn, even during sex?! This was horrible. 

“Hm?” Ignis turned to him, disaffected by his sullen mood. “You mean this?” He showed his phone screen, its wallpaper (a car, the latest model of his favorite maker) soon replaced by a black screen and the animation of the deviceʼs logo. And then the light was gone. Oh. 

Gladio felt a little stupid with his grudge now. 

“I swore to you earlier I would give this night to you,” Ignis began, putting down his phone, face to the wood, as he approached. Gladioʼs arms remained over his chest but only because he wanted to see what Ignis would do. “I made a mistake earlier.” He eased those arms down so he could push back his robe himself. “I wonʼt make the same error again.”

“Thatʼs not what you said, though.” Gladio took his hand as soon as heʼd tossed off his robe. Now they were both standing naked in front of each other, chest to chest. Ignisʼ eyes gazed unabashedly at his lips, telling him what he wanted. He carried his hand to his left chest, leaning just a breath closer, just so Ignis could feel his lips moving when he continued, “You said this would be _our_ night.”

“I know what I said, Gladio,” Ignis mumbled to his lips, moving closer to him still so that their bellies were pressed together and he was poking at his groin. Hot, a little hard. Gladio stirred, grinding a little into him. He wanted that. He wanted his heat tonight. “Besides,” those long arms reached over to rest themselves atop his shoulders, “what difference does it make?” 

He parted his lips to kiss and Gladio welcomed him, keeping his own mouth open so that Ignis could explore it with his tongue. He could still taste the chocolate between. Ignisʼ fingers found their way again to his hair while his own wandered down the flesh of his ass to grope the muscle. Ignis moaned appreciatively, doing it again when Gladio pressed into his cock. 

“Come to bed with me,” Gladio groaned, voice grated by want. Ignis nodded and slipped his arms off the back of his neck so Gladio could lead him by the hand. 

“I neglected to tell you something,” Ignis spoke up suddenly, sitting on the side of the bed besides his boyfriend, “in my desire to be with you.” He sounded proud. 

“Hm?” Gladio turned to him, finally squirting some of the cool liquid on his right. Chamomile-scented. Actually, he didnʼt know what part of the smell was chamomile, he just really liked it. “What is it?” He left the squeeze bottle by Ignisʼ foot as he crawled over him. 

Ignis laid down on the pillow, letting Gladio push his left leg to spread him. He was smiling when he brushed an invisible speck off Gladioʼs cheek. “Before I switched off my phone, I ignored five e-mails from the council.”

“And _thatʼs_ supposed to turn me on?!” Gladio laughed. Ignis shared in his own glee, grinning, chest bouncing. What a dork! What a silly dork, his boyfriend was.

“Are you not turned on by my shameless betrayal of my duties?” Ignis gasped lightly in the midst of his cheer. “I would do that for you, and you alone!” Well, that was true. He couldnʼt imagine Ignis doing it with someone heʼd just met _and_ wasnʼt bound to the crown prince by lineage and duty at that. 

“Mmm, tempting but…” Gladio scrunched up his nose and shook his head. Ignis laughed again. He loved making him laugh. “Just not sexy enough.”

“You are a hard customer to please, Gladio.”

“You wanna know what turns me on?” 

“Always,” Ignis answered softly, smiling. 

How could he not smile at that, too? He had to dip his face so he could kiss it. “This turns me on,” he began. When he touched the tip of his tongue to the line between Ignisʼ lips, the man parted them for him so he could slip into his mouth and run his tongue along its walls and the roof of it. “That turns me on, too,” he added as he pulled out, leaving Ignis just a little breathless. 

“And this one.” he carried his left hand to his rising chest. “This one, too.” He shook his head. “You could give me my entire lifetime and Iʼll never be done listing what turns me on about you.”

“So kiss them,” Ignis breathed. “Use your lips and your tongue and your mouth. And your fingers to tell me.” That had always been the plan. 

But Gladio liked it better when Ignis told him what he needed and what he wanted. He was shy about some things but not his demands, and he loved that of him. Where to start, though? 

The top, he supposed. He started with his hair and planted a kiss in his damp locks. Down to his eyes, he kissed one of them, as well. Then his cheekbone, the tip of his nose. 

His moles—so characteristically his. Ignis once shared his insecurities about them, when he thought they looked ugly in the face of a rival in love, and Gladio had loved them more ever since. Heʼd told Ignis how it felt like they were only reserved for his appreciation, and he believed that. 

It pleased Ignis. He could feel the corner of his lips quirking up as he kissed his smile on the way down to his bobbing throat, the space between his clavicle. 

His right nipple—because of course he would get back to that sooner than later. He graced it with a tender kiss and then flicked his tongue over it. Ignis squirmed under him. Not good enough, then. So he soaked it first with his tongue, letting the man shudder on his own, then covered it with his mouth and began to suckle. 

That caused him to cry and jump, grabbing onto his shoulders. Gladio smiled through his kiss but didnʼt let up, lapping at the teat like a thirsty dog when his mouth tired and then suckling again when he wanted to hear Ignisʼ voice. He was never still now, aroused and struggling. And when he finally got used to Gladioʼs movements, he snuck up a finger to his other nipple and pinched it. 

“Gladio!” Ignis gasped, starting. It used to be that he stopped when he shouted like that, in case the man wanted to tell him something or might be uncomfortable but Ignis never liked that. He preferred it if Gladio was unrelenting. Like now. 

He was harder for it; Gladio had felt his warm shaft brush his belly when Ignis jolted. Good. The feeling was mutual. 

He was maybe enjoying himself far too much, every shift and noise Ignis made only serving to stiffen his own cock. Ignisʼ chest was practically soaked with his spit by the time he was almost done with them, stopping only so that the man could catch his breath from his excitement and he could admire his work. Those teats which he so loved were now puffy and red, and when he brushed his thumb lightly over the areola, Ignis was already hissing and flinching. Perfectly sensitive, just the way he wanted them. 

He poked his nose on his right nipple and kissed it again. He ran a long tongue over it and felt the man shiver under him, a stunted whine transforming into a deep moan. Not something he would have done in the past without permission; knowing how brutal his actions could be by the sheer size of him alone, Gladio had a habit of constantly checking in on his partner but that frustrated Ignis. If he hurt him, heʼd know, heʼd said. If he couldnʼt take a little pain then he had no place in the Crownsguard, heʼd said. Gladio respected that. 

He didnʼt stop to warn him when he pried his entrance open with the soaked tip of his middle finger. Even when Ignis yowled and bucked his hips, he only pushed them back down so he could slip the first knuckle inside his clenching walls. He was warm inside, and tight and excited. 

Gladio became distracted from his movements at the impatient twitch of his cock. For a blind second, he had been about to shove Ignisʼ legs back and thrust his aching want inside of him but even with all of Ignisʼ preferences, he could never be cruel enough to hurt him for his own satisfaction. He tried again to lap at the writhing manʼs teat to distract them both from the fever building up between their legs.

Didnʼt work—he wanted something else, something more now that his finger was inside that trembling haven. Gladio rose carefully, feeling a little light-headed with all that excitement. He kept his middle finger inside Ignis as he fixed them both to his comfort, until he was kneeling between his legs and Ignisʼ legs laid across each of his thigh. 

What a wonder, how Ignis looked. Hard at breath, flushed from all of Gladioʼs attention, sprawled, exposed and defenseless for his consumption. Heʼd closed his eyes to take hold of himself and parted his lips to help him breathe. His cock, already red with so much want, practically stood rigidly between them, proud of the little clear bud at its tip. It would be the easiest thing now to play with it. 

“Enjoying yourself down there?” Gladio chuckled with a foreign voice, weary from his own arousal while he took Ignisʼ feverish flesh with his free hand and squeezed it. Ignis jolted again, throwing his mouth open for a scream only to mewl out softly as his chest fell. Gladio stirred again. He plunged his finger all the way through Ignis now, causing the man to stiffen his muscles. 

“Thatʼs right,” he said, stroking Ignis to spread his flowing pre-cum throughout his length, and then pinching the slit at the crown of his head. Ignis cried again, knees jumping up. “Let me hear that again.”

“G, Gladio,” Ignis choked, eyes finally fluttering open. He was gaping like a fish out of water, trying to remember how words worked. “Gladio, please—!” _Please stop. Please donʼt do that. Please let me go._ All voices in Gladioʼs head that had sent him in a panic more than once when he thought he was hurting Ignis. Ignis taught him a valuable lesson on his knees once not to listen to them. 

Now he knew better. “Please what?” he asked, pretending disaffection though it was getting harder for him to breathe, just seeing Ignis rendered powerless like this, by his hands alone. Ignis who was always so cocksure about himself. Always so pristine, so witty and clever. Now grasping at the sheets and damp with sweat and saliva. His words were all gone now, replaced only by one name: Gladio. His. “Please this?”

 _This_ was his pointing finger, squeezing in next to his middle finger inside Ignis. Ignis almost started to scream again, hips gyrating, but he bit it back to whimper, twisting his face on the pillow. 

“Oh? Thatʼs cute, too,” Gladio crooned. It was getting harder to control himself—on the one hand, he was ready to rip into Ignis but on the other, gods, he was so obsessed with him now! All that noise he was making, the way he twisted his face, almost fever sick with lust. He should stop but he shouldnʼt. “Let’s try that again.” He twisted his fingers like a key in the ignition hole. 

Ignis writhed, grunting as he tried to breathe, blinking at the ceiling. Gladio didnʼt let up with his twisting, crooking his fingers a little to stretch his softening walls which brought out a small cry from Ignis. Even the High Messengers couldnʼt have sung a better song than that. Or the growing whimpers Ignis made as he stroked and pinched his ruddy length. 

His first sign of protest was a fast hand grabbing the wrist of Gladioʼs penetrating one. He knew better than to fight that—Ignis was in a position to break his bone and if neither of them were careful, he could do something terrible inside Ignis, too. Even his stroking hand stopped, fingers already sleek with the pre-cum heʼd squeezed out of Ignisʼ erection. 

“Stop,” Ignis gasped, finally finding Gladio with his eyes. “Please,” more whispers as he shook his head, “not like this.” Gladio could hardly keep his eyes away from his heaving chest, those teats still flushed with heat. “Donʼt make me come like this, Gladio,” he rasped. He wouldnʼt have, even if Ignis hadnʼt asked. 

He obeyed in silence, smiling as he released Ignisʼ erection and finally pulled out his fingers when Ignis uncuffed him. 

Ignis fell back in relief, straight into his pillow. Gladio would give him a chance to catch his breath for now but he wouldnʼt stop. 

He poured some more lube in his right. His own flesh already felt heavy and searing between his legs as he crawled back over Ignis. He made a point to kiss and tease those nipples again before he finally reunited with Ignisʼ mouth, and the manʼs hands grasping his jaw and grabbing at his hair. 

“What do you want?” he asked him, breath to breath, nose to nose. His sleek left ghosted over to Ignisʼ left teat to press it hard. Ignis squirmed and whined again, distracting him from his right hand grasping his own aching cock to spread his pre-cum and the lube over it. “Hm?” he nipped at his nose and twisted his teat. Ignis cried. “Tell me what you want.”

“You,” Ignis snarled, teeth gritted to hold his desire in check. “Your tongue…your dick inside me, pumping me full.” The first time he heard him talk dirty, Gladio remembered losing it and finishing off much earlier than heʼd planned. Several months later, heʼd finally learned to control himself when Ignis did that. 

Still stirred him, though. Still drove him mad with lust. He might have grinned maniacally at Ignis trying to rail himself in which he understood was not necessarily sexy. 

But Ignis kissed him, anyway, and he allowed himself to be lost in the heat of his mouth as he shifted closer still to Ignisʼ ass, grasping himself by the head. 

He didnʼt let go even when Ignis jumped and groaned within their mouths, forcing him deeper into the pillow with his kiss while he pushed past Ignisʼ clenching entrance, holding fast to one of Ignisʼ legs when it jerked up. Solid hands landed onto Gladioʼs shoulders, fighting him back as he moaned urgently but only so he could shift a little lower and open his legs wider. Get more comfortable and relaxed. 

Gladio found it easier to push deeper still, after—Ignis was still tight and perfect, just the way he wanted him, just enough to leave him a little weak kneed. He would have wanted nothing more than to drive himself through in one large swing but they could make the night longer still. They still had time. 

“Give me a second,” Ignis gasped, having fought free from Gladioʼs oppressive mouth. A damp hand locked onto his growing hair again. With his blood rushing to his face, Ignisʼ eyes looked almost unnaturally green. “Let me relax. I need you deep inside me, Gladio. All of you.”

“Iʼm trying to fit, okay? ‘snot my fault Iʼm prodigiously gifted…” If he had more words to say, he forgot them all when he started laughing. What a revelation. Ignis himself cracked up loudly at his choice of words. Throwing his head back, exposing his throat. 

Gladio lapped at his neck, one hand reaching to the back of Ignisʼ thigh to knead it lazily. Whatever he did made Ignis sigh, almost in bliss, softening up inside him. 

Enough so he could drive himself in in one thundering motion. Ignis jumped with a tight gasp, sending bolts of pleasure straight to his belly as he tightened instinctively around him again. Gladio hummed out a deep groan, eyes falling to their union to see that heʼd finally buried himself to the hilt. 

He smiled—gods, he loved it deep inside Ignis the most. Wet with heat, and so sensitive; even just by rolling his hips, Ignis was already gasping and throwing his head back. 

“Yes!” he sang in breaths. “There, just there.”

“Like this?” Gladio gyrated again and Ignis arched his lovely form, his own erection visibly twitching in delight. He felt his own fruits tightening at the sight. 

“More,” he groaned, looking dazed at the man on his knees, reaching for him. “Please, gods…Gladio, more!” This was a secret side he never could have thought existed within the quiet and composed Ignis Scientia. One part of him always thought that the reason why Ignis loved these intimate pockets in their lives so much was because it was an avenue for him to let go. To be more honest—about his wants and needs. His temptations and fantasies. 

He took that hand and pressed a little kiss on its pulse. He started slow and easy, as he always did—no great movements beyond the swirl of his buttocks. This was no question of preference, anymore, Gladio simply had to be careful with his strength. But the rhythm was still nice, a change of pace before he overstimulated his boyfriend. A slow build-up, as it were. Ignis was enjoying it, closing his eyes and moaning softly at the motion except for when he hit him at the right spot. Then he would tighten around him, mouth falling open for a soft song. Adding to his own selfish ache. 

“More?” he asked, swallowing his own spit. Ignis nodded, so he thrust into him, grinning freely when those green eyes of his shot open and his lips parted in a silent gasp. Could he ever be more perfect? Splayed in heedless desire, as honest as a sinless being. Gladio grasped him by his knees as he thrust into him again, his movements becoming wider and more intent now. 

And how Ignis writhed, whimpering at every push. His walls clenched desperately at his moving cock but all that motion had softened them, making it easier for Gladio to slide out and swing back in. He grunted, groaned, his chest heaving as he watched their coitus, biting his own lip. Gladio felt heavy and full inside him. 

Not yet. He didnʼt want to come just yet. Not until Ignis came. Not while Ignis was dancing to his thrusts, one hand grasping at his pillow, the other reaching for his cock as he moaned his name: “Gladio…Gladio…please…Gladio…”

“Louder,” he growled, head heavy with lust. 

“Gladio,” Ignis groaned obediently. “Please…Gladio!” The last one, a cry after Gladio pulled back and slammed hard into his prostate. His eyes rolled back, his pelvis shuddering at the impact. The rest of his words became nothing else but a sweet moan. 

“Please what?” Gladio claimed his erection, then, pressing the rigid flesh to his muscled belly to stroke it, and push at the slit with the flat of his thumb. Ignis let out a great whine and a tight cry. “Tell me, I want to hear it.”

“Harder,” Ignis grunted, looking defiantly at his boyfriend beneath constrained brows as he doled out his requests. “Fuck me harder. Please, Gladio, let me beg for you.” Sprawled. Naked. Flushed and desperate. How could he say no to that? Often, heʼd tried to play the hard and tough lover but the truth was that between the two of them, it was Ignis who was better at this game. 

Him, he was always weak for the man, always gave in. “Donʼt cry if it hurts,” was his only warning before he swung back and rammed right into him. Ignis screamed, cock jolting fast in his fingers, pre-cum shooting up. He was wet, so wet. 

He plugged Ignisʼ head with the fold of his thumb, stroking its sleek length with his fingers while he slipped in and out in broad strokes that squelched with the most embarrassing sounds. Every smack of his pelvis incited the neediest whispers from Ignisʼ mouth. Gods, anymore of this and he was going to climax hard. 

“You can do better than that, Scientia,” he muttered, keeping up with his rhythm, each impact causing the man to jump. “Play with yourself. Didnʼt I prepare you nicely for this?”

He did. Ignis knew what he was talking about. He soaked up his fingers with his tongue and his mouth without question and used them to tease his own teats, twisting them and kneading them until he was mewling. The most perfect slave for his amusement. Gladio made a guttural sound at the sight of it and plunged deeper into his core. 

“Donʼt stop,” he groaned, hastening his own hand over Ignisʼ erection, hot like a high fever on his heaving stomach. “I want them swollen and red when you come. Look at me!” He didnʼt mean to bark but the fire coiling around his own belly was driving him wild. Ignis snapped to him. “I want you to rub your teats raw while you watch yourself come all over me. I want you to see how much you fucking lust over me.”

The look of panic was clear as day on Ignisʼ face. He wanted to say no. He _would_ say no. “Gladio, thatʼs embarrassing!” he protested. Will he give in? 

Gladio couldnʼt help but see this as another test. If he dropped it now, he couldnʼt imagine Ignisʼ disappointment. Or his own. And gods, between the two of them, he was the lecherous one here. He was the one turned on by stamping down Ignis into a bag of meat built for his and purely for his orgasm. 

“Iʼve been listening to you beg like itʼs your job since I started fucking you, you really gonna pretend youʼre embarrassed by this?” Words he would never have spoken in any other opportunity around Ignis. He respected him too much, except for when Ignis was asking to be tested like this. These were words, then, reserved only for this secret Ignis. _His_ private Ignis. “You stop, I stop. Deal?”

Ignisʼ eyes grew wide with horror. His moves were suddenly full of purpose as he licked his fingers again and rolled his right nipple over them, swallowing his moan, even dancing with his hips while Gladio battered him. His eyes now watched Gladioʼs feverish stroking like an obsession. He didnʼt have to lick his lips but he did. 

Gladio lost control of his motions briefly, stiffening at Ignisʼ teasing. It took him a moment to regain himself, and then he was pummeling Ignis relentlessly again, the vulgar slaps of their flesh alternating with the wet popping noises of him pulling out. 

“Yes,” he groaned while Ignis played on with himself, a wet tongue circling his rose red lips again. “Like that…just like that.”

“Donʼt stop,” Ignis mumbled back, pulling at his own nipples. “Gladio, donʼt stop! Please donʼt stop, please donʼt—!” His mouth hung wide open, his hips trembling wildly all of a sudden. 

Gladio was startled by the spurt of hot liquid shooting straight to his chest and his neck, and that was all it took for him to come undone, as well—with grateful release bursting out of him in urgent jets. When Ignis squirmed and bucked his hips, he couldnʼt tell if it was because he was still ejaculating or because he was feeling Gladio spend himself from deep within. 

By the time Ignis had finally finished, and Gladio had squeezed out the last of him, his front was practically glazed with his seeds. Ignis looked dazedly at his work, red all over from the ecstasy and the teasing. 

He muttered a curse and hid his face behind his hands, turning to the side. Turns out he really was embarrassed by what heʼd just witnessed. 

“Hey.” Gladio tried to laugh at his shyness only for his throat to betray him, still pinched with passion. He cleared it with a cough and reached Ignisʼ side to shake the man. He wanted to do it with his ass but was worried that that might be tipping the line now. “Hey, look at me. Itʼs okay, I wanted this.” Ignis still shook his head. 

He sighed. Okay, maybe that was a bit too much. “Okay,” he conceded. “I wonʼt force you, anymore.” He left a pause in there somewhere before he uttered out a selfish request. “Could…could you let me finish off inside you, though?” He was still buried, and he could still feel the tension in his cock, wrapped in intoxicating warmth. To his relief, Ignis nodded his head. 

He braced his hands on either side of Ignisʼ hips, then, and thrust carefully. Ignis shuddered and moaned when he struck his soft spot but it didnʼt take much longer for him to be pouring out inside Ignis again. 

He caught him watching as he peeked behind his fingers. Gladio would have winked if he just didnʼt want to embarrass Ignis again. When he was done, he finally eased himself slowly out of Ignis, his butt muscles trembling with the work. Ignis flinched; his entrance was now puckered pink and leaking with his release. How tempting it was to kiss it… 

“Be right back,” Gladio choked, stumbling out of the bed when he felt a fresh stab of arousal between him. How disgustingly lewd and greedy of him. The rain was spectacularly loud suddenly in the absence of Ignisʼ noises. “Iʼll just clean up.”

“Wait.” Ignis uncovered his face as he raised himself slightly by the elbow so he could frown at Gladio. “After what I suffered for you, youʼll just leave me here?” There might have been a bit of panic in his voice in there. This was definitely not the way Ignis wanted to enjoy their pillow time, something that was very important to him. 

“Iʼm cominʼ back,” Gladio assured him. “I just…I gotta jack off again. I need to use my hands.”

“Then why not do it with me?” Ignis protested. He did look vaguely stung. “You make me feel as if I did something unsatisfactory or offensive.”

“ _You?_ ” Gladio snorted, grinning at the joke. “Gods above, Ignis, you have no idea how wonderful you were. But,” he tossed his hand to him, “Iʼve hurt you enough already, yeah?”

Ignis pointed to his blushing teats. “This? Or this?” He parted his legs and pointed between them, seeds and all. Gladio choked and looked away, before he did something potentially regrettable to the two of them. “Yes, the flesh hurts, Gladio, but I wanted that abuse. I wanted everything you did to me.” Encouraging words, despite the slightly less savory truth that they held, but Gladio still felt it was irresponsible of him to take them at face value. That it was better to hesitate and show the sincerity of his regret. 

Ignis rolled his eyes at that and lied back down, spreading his knees wide open. Gladio found himself staring at his soaked hole again. “Come and finish what you started with me now,” he commanded. Gladio was out of arguments for that. 

He went back between Ignisʼ legs on his knees and rubbed himself until he was coming all over Ignisʼ flaccid cock. “Good,” Ignis groaned, shifting a little at his warm seeds, twisting a secret smile. “That feels better.” He reached out for Gladio after. 

“Ignis, I gotta clean up—”

“Thatʼs me all over you, why should I feel disgusted?” Touchy. Better not try him again. 

How easily their roles were reversed after sex. Gladio welcomed this familiarity, though, as he entwined his fingers around Ignisʼ and let him lead him down to one side of the bed so that they laid side-by-side, face to face with each other. As if to make up for his shameful demands, Gladio swallowed his lips with a kiss. 

Ignis returned it with a thrill, and smiled cheerfully at their closeness when they parted. “Something tells me Iʼm not the only one who had fun tonight. Are you satisfied, then?” He caressed the shape of his cheek with his thumb. Funny he should ask. 

What else could Gladio do but nod. “You…” he sighed, laying a hand gently on Ignisʼ ass which only made the man smile brighter. “Were so perfect, Ignis. Those faces…the sounds you made, the way you moved your hips…” Gods, but he was stirring again at the imagery of it. “Couldnʼt keep my eyes off of you. Iʼm surprised I managed to hold on long enough until you came.”

“But of course, what else did you expect from me?” Ignis beamed proudly at the compliment. He was Ignis, after all, who thought of everything and knew perfectly well how to arouse them both. Did he just play Gladio to his tune, then? If he did, he could only be too happy to play the fool for him again. “Do you want me like this again, later?” Gods, what kind of a question was that? Gladio nodded, of course, he wasnʼt stupid. “Very well.” He shifted closer so they could kiss again, and he could run his fingers over his hair while Gladio nipped lightly at his lips and traced the crack of his ass with a finger. “Some sleep is in order, then. When you wake up, Iʼll be nice and ready for you to play with again.”

—

He wasnʼt. 

Gladio woke up to a quiet world, the manic rush of the storm having since passed, reduced now to the shy pitter-patter of the last of the traces of it. If not for the monsoon season, he knew blue moonlight would be splashing down the carpeted floor, and that discarded robe, from the window.

In a dream world, he would be seeing the same light painted on Ignisʼ flawless skin, while he lied on his side, asleep, and perfectly at ease. Not a sight he hadnʼt witnessed before, but not one he would ever grow tired of. He remembered the first time heʼd been lucky enough to see it in his own bed, heʼd forgotten how to breathe. Ignis had caught him staring when he woke up that night, and then with absolutely no self-control, heʼd pushed him to his back and spread him wide open again. 

Tonight, he was satisfied to just run his digits lightly over his hair, and then trace the shape of his arm, his waist and his hips with the feather touch of his fingertips. Ignis may have already hardened his muscles but his curves would forever be soft in Gladioʼs hands. He didnʼt stir; he must have tired him out, he thought. And it had been a long day and… 

He wondered suddenly how Ignis slept this past few days with Noctis in his mind and without Gladio to distract his thoughts and his body. Was that why he looked so at peace tonight? Maybe why heʼd let Gladio do that to him? Maybe why he wanted more of that… 

He got up carefully, a little sore around his hips from making love with Ignis, and padded to the bathroom to clean up a little. Personally, he could take a little stickiness here and there, actually loved it around his nether regions, but for Ignis he preferred to clean up a little, knowing the manʼs penchant for neatness. He washed his chest and his stomach, then, where Ignisʼ spend had dried up. 

And then he was back at his boyfriendʼs side, still carrying his weight before it roused him from his sleep. He was never known for being subtle, that was more Ignisʼ specialty. But he tried when he could, inching closer until he could press his lips softly to Ignisʼ. 

They had rules for this sort of thing, too, stemming from an ugly encounter Ignis had with an ex. It was fine to kiss and to touch while they were asleep, but no penetration, no groping and teasing and no pictures, much less videos. 

He enjoyed these rare occasions when he could, peppering Ignisʼ skin with tiny little kisses, stroking his back, stopping short of his buttocks. He liked to play a game with the man sometimes: from his shoulder to his feet, how far could he go before he woke up? Most of the time, he could only make it as far as his elbow, though sometimes he won. 

This time, he lost before he even began. Probably because he lingered too long on his eyes and ears. Least it put him in the perfect position to meet Ignis in a kiss when he grasped his hair and repositioned his lips where it was more wanted. The man had barely woken up but his tongue was already tracing along the line of Gladioʼs lips. He let him through happily, keeping his own tongue still so Ignis could run his own freely along the roof of his mouth and the inside of his cheeks. 

They parted with a wet sound, and drowsy smiles reserved only for each other. Gladio could swear that look he was giving him was a loving look. Soft green eyes staring closely at him, the trace of a smile still on his lips. “Sorry, if I woke you,” he mumbled, combing his fingers idly at his sandy hair. 

Ignis shook his head. “I was already awake when you came back. Just pretended to be asleep for your kisses.” His hand wandered to Gladioʼs chest to stroke lightly at the bridge between his pectorals, later spreading the span of his hand to his heart. 

“Coward,” he chuckled suddenly. 

“I thought you were the neat freak here,” Gladio returned. 

“Itʼs sex, Gladio,” Ignis replied in good spirits, grinning. “Itʼs supposed to be messy.”

“We could always put some on me again, if you want.” That was maybe something of an invitation. “I know where to get more of that, after all.”

“Be gentle with me, I just woke up.” Well, that wasnʼt a no. And Ignis was still smiling. 

“Still a little sore?” Gladio _had_ been a bit rough with him tonight, considering their history. When he reached down to Ignisʼ legs, he scooped his soft flesh gently with his hand. Ignis had nodded but despite that, he still pincered Gladioʼs hand with his thighs and ground himself onto his palm. He purred softly, doing it again. 

“On your back,” Gladio mumbled, raising himself on his elbow so Ignis could lay down easily. “Let me do that for you. Just keep your legs open.”

“For you, always,” Ignis hummed. 

Gladio located the lube bottle easily near the end of the bed. He fixed himself on his knees as he squirted some of the cool liquid onto his palm. He would have to let it warm on his skin before he touched Ignis with it. 

Until then, what to do? He couldnʼt very well just stare at Ignisʼ nakedness and let the time waste away…although it was tempting. Gorgeous physique, handsome eyes. That knowing smirk that always drove Gladio wild. 

“What are you thinking, handsome?” Ignis asked, voice as quiet as the rain. 

“You said,” Gladio replied in kind, tracing the hair along Ignisʼ abdomen with his cleaner hand, leading down to his cock, “when I wake up, I could play with you again.”

“Will you make me dance this time?”

Gladio grinned. “Tempting,” he confessed. He never tried to ask, actually. Ignis didnʼt seem to be the dancing kind and he doubted sex and the promise of a great climax would change that. His eyes wandered up to his nipples, no longer swollen with so much attention, and then the strong curve of his shoulders, the cut of his jaw. “But I think Iʼll save that for the next anniversary.” Ignis snorted. “Right now, I just wanna kiss you.”

“Sounds fair.” Ignis reached for him. 

He dipped low obediently, letting him take hold of his hair again, while he kissed his lips. The passion of need was gone now. This was just…dessert. Something nice and easy to wrap the night up with. 

Gladio sucked lightly at Ignisʼ lips and tongue before he started on his way down his chin and his throat. He made sure to keep his kisses nice and wet. 

And then his hand, he pressed carefully onto Ignisʼ length, waiting for his reaction before started to stroke it gently, long movements made for pleasure but not excitement. Ignis hummed so softly and sweetly. 

“Feel good?” he whispered before he kissed his ear. Ignis nodded, the ghost of a smile on his face. He nipped at his earlobe and ran a wet tongue over his ear. 

Where he was driven by lust and carnality earlier, this time Gladio took his time, intent only to taste the salt on Ignisʼ skin and to make him feel good. He lingered on the side of his neck, crawled slowly to his strong chest where he placed only the chastest of kisses on his nipples before he lapped shyly on the flesh again. Ignis moaned and giggled, tugging lightly on his hair. Gladio smiled against his skin. 

“You drive me wild when you play the dom card,” Ignis sighed, releasing his hair as he crawled lower. “But gods, I love you just as much like this.”

Gladio responded only by kissing the muscles of his abdomen with a wet mouth. He could feel Ignis shivering but only moved more carefully to his navel, while he moved his hand under his stiffening shaft and with a gentle pressure, began to massage his heavy fruits. He stopped when Ignis hissed and jerked a knee up. Waited for him to relax before he moved his fingers again. 

He let Ignis take control of his cock, then, while he worked on his balls. Gladio looked up to his boyfriend just to see his face, his finger playing with his ticklish teat again as licked his lips. How exquisite he still looked, even when he wasnʼt begging to be used. And now that morning was coming, he could see him better from the pale light through the window, and how it loved his skin, his contours. Gladio really wanted to see him bathed in moonlight now, or by the light of a campfire. Wouldnʼt that be quite the trip? Could be an amazing experience for the both of them, something to look forward to in their relationship. It would be fun. In fact… 

“Hey, Ignis,” Gladio raised himself slightly on his knees, “this is going to be weird but…I think I got an idea on how we could help Noct.”

Ignis stared at him, one hand on his nipple, the other one gripping his erection. “Please donʼt tell me you were thinking about Noct while you were fondling me.”


	4. Chapter 4

“Are we there yeeet?” Prompto wailed. 

“Perhaps if you hadnʼt turned us into a dead end, we would have already arrived about an hour ago.”

“Ignis, it wasnʼt my fault!! I was just following Insomnia Maps!”

“And blindly, might I add?” Ignis didnʼt relent. His sigh was loaded with his disappointment as he pushed his glasses back. “You have already noticed a deviation between the route and the actual road and still, you pushed on. Perhaps if you hadnʼt been so foolhardy behind the wheel, we might have found our way back sooner.”

“Hey, Ignis, enough with that.” Gladio could understand Ignisʼ sour mood and for him personally, he did mourn the time they were wasting just to get to the location. There was a reason, after all, why Ignis had insisted to leave at 7 in the morning _sharp_ , for all the good that it did now. But what was a road trip if not an adventure on wheels? And what kind of an adventure would they be in if everything went according to plan? For Gladio, he just wanted to make the most of the situation, keep their heads cool. And he started by rooting around the full gym bag between his feet. “Just focus on getting us to the camping ground. Prompto can clean up the grill later.”

“Ahhh, that sounds like a chore but if thatʼs what it takes for Ignis to forgive me…” Prompto sighed. 

“Hey Ignis,” Noctis called to their surly driver from the back next to Gladio. “Why donʼt we just stop by for some drive-thru? Weʼre already hungry, anyway. You could use some food to lighten up.”

“Weʼre almost at the location and rerouting will only cause us further needless delay,” Ignis dismissed the thought. “Besides, itʼs already too close to lunch, you shouldnʼt spoil it.”

“Fine, fine,” Noctis grumbled, sidling lower in the backseat to close his eyes. Gladio watched the exchange as he finally managed to extract a hexagonal box from the void of the bag. “Just a suggestion,” he muttered. He was right, though, they _were_ hungry. And Gladio knew that was half of what was causing Ignis to be upset. 

When no rebuttal finally came from the man, Gladio took the opportunity to kick the prince lightly on his calf. 

Noctis glared at him. He waved the colorful box branded in cute chubby letters over a background of bugles bursting. Noctis came to life suddenly with a secret, “Oooh!” as he reached for it. 

Gladio warned him with a finger on his lips, passing him the chips. He directed a furtive look at Ignis and a sharp jab to his direction. 

“Howʼd you get this through him?” Just slightly louder than a whisper while Noctis pried for the opening. 

“Perks of volunteering to pack the bags.” He cast another quick glance at their frowning driver while Noctis worked on the perforated strip patiently. The lid came off soon enough, and then the silver bag was out and ripped open through the cut at the corner. 

Pure bliss was painted on Noctisʼ face as he crunched on his first mouthful. Gladio poured out a handful for himself to enjoy. What was a road trip without some junk food, after all? 

“Hm?” Count on Prompto to be sharp about it, too. Or maybe the prince and his future Shield just sucked about keeping it secret. The blonde man whirled to inspect his curiosity. “HEY, thatʼs not fair, share some over here!!”

“Hey— Prompto—!!” Noctisʼ first reaction was to hiss him into silence but since the ruckus had already been made, there was nothing else he could do but to click his tongue. “Dammit, so much for being quiet.”

“Gladio.” There was no escaping those piercing green eyes looking at him through the rear view mirror now. “Whatʼs going on back there?”

“I—” Gladio shrugged, trying to play it cool. Prompto received the bag of bugles from the prince. It would be dumb to pretend that Ignis still didnʼt know what was happening. “Well, you heard the prince, he was hungry!”

“Hey, donʼt pin this on me, you were the one who brought out the chips!” Noctis retaliated. 

Ignis sighed at the loss of order in his car. “If youʼd rather not wait for a proper lunch, then you might as well feed your driver.” He held out his gloved right to Prompto. 

“All right!” Prompto laughed, relinquishing the bugles so Ignis could pour some to his mouth. “I knew youʼd see it our way, Ignis!”

In a little over half an hour (the chips, they finished between the four of them in less), they finally turned towards the sign of the camping ground. Prompto was the first to celebrate their triumph—the fact that they had still managed to arrive in the morning, after all, or at all meant that his blunder wasnʼt necessarily the worst. 

“Noct.” Ignis adjusted his glasses, slowing down for that one final turn leading into the gate. “You may want to stay hidden for a moment. Prompto, thereʼs a Coernix cap inside my glove compartment. Would you be kind enough to pass it along?”

Prompto obeyed with a little, “Mm!” flinging the black cap back to Noctis who snatched it cleanly off the air. 

“You really got a baseball cap waiting in that compartment of yours?” Gladio never saw Ignis as the hat-wearing kind of guy, especially after all that time he spent styling his hair. Noctis slapped the meat of his arm with the back of his hand and gestured to the book on his lap. He handed it to the prince. “Or this just something you thought about last night?” Which wouldnʼt surprise him. 

“Itʼs more a matter of the cap being at the right place at the right time,” Ignis answered. “I received that from a gasoline station as a freebie but never got around to putting it away. Noct, Iʼm rolling the window down now.”

“Right,” Noctis confirmed. By then, heʼd already opened it in the middle and tucked his nose between its pages, shrouding his face completely with the aid of the visor. 

Ignis tilted his head slightly out to give the cheerful gatekeeper a polite nod. “We have a reservation for the lakeside grounds, four pax under Prompto Argentum.” Otherwise known as the most unpopular name in the car. This was supposed to be a private getaway, after all. 

“Just one moment!” she chirruped. 

Prompto handed their combined entrance fees to Ignis who shuffled the notes expertly until they were more or less facing the same way and ordered by denomination. He handed them to the woman who offered a crisp white letter-sized envelope in return, about as thick as a thin booklet. 

“Enjoy your stay!” She waved them off cheerfully. 

Ignis saluted her and rolled up the window. Noctis handed the book back to Gladio while Prompto laughed, inspecting the contents of their welcome kit. 

“Nothing to see here, just a dad and his three kids!” he cheered. 

“Heʼs more like a _mom_ kinda guy, though,” Noctis corrected, handing Prompto the cap. 

“Fortunately for me, I only have to pick up after one kid,” Ignis commented while Prompto fitted the cap onto his head beside him. “The Astrals havenʼt blessed me with the fortitude to deal with all three of you at once.”

“Hey, Iʼm not so bad!” Gladio protested. 

“Yeah, yeah, and you canʼt be his kid!” Prompto hummed while he tapped his chin. “So it has to be…nothing to see here, just a mom, his two kids and his husband!” He was laughing again. 

Ignis warned him with a finger. “You’re still on thin ice.”

“Igniiis!” Sang out. 

Gladio guffawed. “Hey, at least heʼs on our side.”

From the gate, they followed a winding road leading off to the left and dipping further back from the entrance, away from the ramparts of the Crown City which were soon obscured by the trees they were driving by. Prompto spoke out about his excitement. Ignis slowed down as soon as the concrete gave way to a vague dirt road. 

It led them onto an empty space of dark earth, shaded by the heavy eaves of an old tree. “Here we are,” Ignis announced, shutting off the engine and opening the trunk. 

Prompto was the first to stumble out, standing still only so he could breathe in the cool air of the secret park, mixed with a fragrance of raw dirt, the lake over at the distance and the unmistakable smoke of campfire. 

“Here we are!” he echoed in celebration, running down a slimmer footpath that led him behind a curtain of trees. He never stopped and went back even when the prince himself had called him to help with the things. 

In the end, it was Gladio who carried most of them, trailing after Ignis and Noctis sharing a cooler between them. Past the thin line of young trees, Prompto stood at the edge of a clean rock ground already prepped for easy camping, with his camera trained up to the green crowns. Even here, the cluster was thick, and taller, giving way to the right only for a little peek of the footpath and the shore of the lake. 

“The calm waters will be a good music to sleep to,” Ignis observed, visibly already feeling better as he and Noctis put down the loaded cooler. “Noct—”

“I know what youʼre gonna say.” Noctis smirked. “Iʼm in charge of dinner.”

Ignis chuckled, smiling back while Gladio started to fix his working area. “I never thought Iʼd hear you say that one day.”

“Yeah? Well, todayʼs a special day.” The prince crossed his arms. “Ready your knives and spices or whatever. Iʼm gonna catch the biggest fish youʼll ever lay your hands on!”

“Iʼm counting on that,” Ignis agreed with a nod. 

“Hey, you sure about this?” Gladio whispered to him while he was lining up the legs of their tent, their home for the next three days and two nights. Being a lover of the outdoor life, after all, he was the one who took care of the gear they would be needing for this outing. “If that guy doesnʼt catch anything worth eating—”

“Then weʼll go to Plan B,” Ignis reassured him as he inspected the contents of the cooler, crouching near his boyfriend. “Who do you think am I, really?”

“Hurt your pride?” Well, Gladio just needed to be sure, he didnʼt want to go hungry on their first night out. Besides, heʼd been looking forward to this as much as everyone else was. 

Ignis winked at him. “Nothing a little kiss wonʼt fix.” Gladio grinned at that little tease. “Iʼll get started with lunch. Perhaps if youʼll help me with the grill first…”

“Right, Iʼm there.”

He got the grill and the long table up in no time and was back on the tent the next. Noctis occupied a tiny spot of the chaos, assembling his new rod and his new lure while Prompto occupied himself with documenting their first trip out as a gang. 

Prompto sighed in bliss. “I canʼt believe weʼre finally here! How long did it take us?”

“Some three hours since we left your house.”

“Ignis, I volunteer to make the rice if that makes you feel better!!”

“Well, at least one of us knows a life skill here.”

“Hey, I know a life skill!” Gladio snapped to his defense, waving a hammer to their half-done quarters. “Iʼm putting up the tent!”

“Iʼm in charge of dinner,” Noctis tossed in his own argument. 

“When have either of you ever touched a rice cooker except to get more rice?” That was a rhetorical question, though. And even if it wasnʼt, Gladio and Noctis, both eying each other uneasily, werenʼt inclined to damn themselves with an answer. In the midst of their silence, and exactly because of that, Ignis turned to the blonde man with a little bow. “Iʼll be much obliged.”

“Roger that!” Prompto saluted sharply (and wrongly) and didnʼt wait much longer to get his hands on the cooker. “But no, seriously, how long have we been planning this?”

“Hm?” Finally a question that wouldnʼt provoke Ignisʼ sarcasm. “Well…it must have been a full season now, hasnʼt it?”

Five months, actually, if Gladio were to count from the night of their anniversary. But life, as it was wont to do, got in the way of things. Ignis wanted to wait for the monsoon to pass, Gladio wanted a remote location, Noctis insisted on a place with a shower facility…and then when they were ready to leave the coming weekend, an accident involving Noctis and Gladio further delayed and complicated their plans. A wiser, more prudent member of the royal familyʼs retainers may have fully discouraged this outing, but Ignis insisted it would be good for Noctis. 

And it was—it distracted him from the gravity of the responsibilities his lineage entailed, allowing him to function as a human being again. In the end, he still engaged with the Citadel only on a limited, if slightly expanded, capacity and was allowed instead to make his life after high school more productive by accepting a part-time job in a sushi restaurant connected to the royal family. As a way of exposing him to the people he would rule, as it were. 

“But despite all that, weʼre finally here…” Prompto cast his face to his camera with a sharp bow, foot still tapping to a constant rhythm. “And I canʼt believe Iʼm here with everyone.” That last word came through with a heavy tightness that beckoned everyoneʼs attention, just in time for them to catch him sniffling and wiping his eyes on his wristband. 

“Hey, hey, whatʼs all this all of a sudden?” Noctis set his finished rod over his lap. 

“You cryinʼ on us, Prompto?” Gladio rose from where heʼd been working on the tent. Now it stood proud and worthy to shelter the crown prince. 

Prompto shook his head but it was clear that he was. About the only one who couldnʼt be distracted from his task was Ignis who was, anyway, handling the very sensitive matter of their nutrition. “I just…since I didnʼt have…” Heʼd trailed off, but Gladio knew what he was getting at now. Unlike he and Noctis, after all, he didnʼt come from a wealthy family. And unlike he and Ignis, he wasnʼt paid well with benefits by the royal family. 

“Cʼmon, you think itʼs gonna be fun without you?” Noctis tossed a hand to him. “Whoʼs gonna take all our pictures?”

“And whoʼll do the rice?” Gladio offered, crossing his arms. 

“And whoʼll do the dishes?” Ignis smirked as he stirred the pot atop the portable stove on the long table. Gladio clicked his tongue at his boyfriendʼs callousness, though he quirked his lips to a little smile when Ignis raised a brow at him. 

“Iʼll do all of that!” Prompto vowed, sniffling. “And Iʼll pay you back for all the money you guys spent on me, I promise!” He swung down for a deep bow. To get this particular space, see, required a somewhat premium entrance fee. And then there was the food, the new tent to accommodate him, the gas… 

Noctis waved all of that off the air. A crown prince would have no trouble with the problem of expenditures, after all. 

“Prompto.” Ignis was the one who took it upon himself to distract him from his indebtedness. Now that heʼd promised not to forget, it was time to move on and get the party started. “Lunch is almost ready. Would you care to set the table—?”

“Sir, yes, sir!!”

—

Lunch was grilled Anak cubes with Leiden potatoes and carrots in curry over a bed of rice, an easy win among the four hungry friends. After that, Noctis and Prompto left his retainers to deal with leftovers (Prompto did wash the dishes, much to the impatient Noctisʼ nagging) as they set off to the lake, angling set in tow.

Giving Gladio the perfect opportunity to take his boyfriend in his arms from the back so he could nibble at the skin of his neck. Ignis started with a giggle, raising his shoulder to his cheek to defend himself. 

“Gladio!” he chided him softly, setting down the container with the curry on the long table before they did anything that might cause him to drop it. 

“Cʼmon, theyʼve already traded us for fish,” Gladio pointed out, tightening his own arms around his waist while he hooked his chin over the same shoulder. “Thought theyʼd never leave.”

“And what do you plan to do now?”

“Hm?” Gladio glanced at his smiling boyfriend. “Spend some time with my sweetheart?”

Ignis raised a brow and then nodded at the dishes, the cooking stuff to be stowed away in their own plastic chests. 

Gladio snorted and only hugged him tighter, tickling Ignis into another sweet laughter. “Cʼmon, I wanna see that nature trail the brochureʼs talkinʼ about.”

“That nature trail isnʼt going anywhere.” Ignis indicated the dishes again. “But these must. If you want us to go soon, Iʼd use those big arms of yours to help.”

“Might need more convincing than that,” Gladio mumbled. When Ignis looked to him, he pouted his lips and pointed to it with a finger. 

Ignis clicked his tongue and huffed quietly. “You can be such a brat sometimes.”

“This is why we should spend less time with the prince and more time with each other.” They were both smiling, though, when they met in a kiss, which may have lasted longer than Gladio intended but it was hard to let go when neither one of them wanted to do it first. Being out there, away from the Citadel and alone for a change, it set them in a very cozy mood. 

“Would you like to go on a date with me, Gladio?” Ignis quizzed him suddenly, to which he nodded. “Then perhaps youʼd be kind enough to stow the pot back in the car so we could get on with it.” The last few words were colored by his amusement when Gladio twisted a scowl on his face at his suave nagging. 

Between the two of them, they managed to pack up quickly enough and were off to the shaded path through the left side of the camping ground, marked by a discreet signpost that indicated it as their _Private Forest_. 

It was, perhaps, the closest thing they could get to unadulterated nature. While the trees looked similar to the public gardens and the parks they often visited in their dates, here, they were allowed to grow high and vast, their old roots tripping over to the dirt trail with no pavement or fence to restrain them. Even the squirrels skipping over their branches were fatter, and the birds looked foreign from the colors the Citadel was used to. Without the sight of buildings peeking over the horizon, or the persistent hum of traffic in the background… 

And now alone with the man who held his affections, Gladio could really say he was walking in paradise. 

“And I vividly remember,” Ignis started to laugh as he got to the punchline of his story, “this…it was a video file. With a particularly um…suspicious.” Gladio was already laughing preemptively himself while the narrator beamed to match their mood. “Thumbnail…of a shirtless man with a,” he drew something across his own throat, “a black band around his neck.”

“Sounds a lot like a collar to me.” Gladio snickered. 

“And the full title was on the desktop and it read…” Ignis paused to recall it, touching his hand to his chin. Gladio reached to his elbow lightly and tugged him closer to his side. 

“Ignis,” he called him, pointing to a nestful of eggs between the thick roots of an aged tree near the path where they walked. “Bird nest.”

“Thank you, Gladio.” Ignis concentrated on his memory again. “I canʼt quite remember what the title was, I know it was rather juvenile…but it was something like… _Hard and Long Lessons_ ,” Gladio blared out a great hoot suddenly, causing a flutter of birds overhead, “ _With Lord Gaylum_. I swear, I am not making this up!”

“Gaylum like…” Ignis was nodding even before Gladio had finished. “Lucis Caelum? But—”

“—but more gay, yes,” Ignis supplied, grinning. “It was right there, on his desktop, as soon as he closed the slideshow presentation to look for his messenger application. But that wasnʼt even the best part.” He showed three fingers to Gladio. “He was already at the _third_ installment—” Gladio burst out louder. “Iʼm not joking!”

“In Master Martiusʼ computer?!”

“On an official council meeting.” Ignis joined his boyfriend in his wild cheer. “I will never forget the secondhand embarrassment I suffered on account of Master Martius. If it werenʼt for stiff formalities, I might have already hidden my face behind my hand.” 

“And then he retires.” Gladio stroked his chin. “Yeah, okay, I get it now.”

“That must have been the year he—” Ignis cracked up a little belatedly when he got Gladioʼs point. His left hand flew to the muscle of his arm, and Gladioʼs hand moved instinctively to hold it. “Yes, I suppose that was the straw that broke his back, as it were.”

“Hey, Ignis, I didnʼt know you were into those hard and long lessons, too!!”

“What do you mean? Iʼm not—” Ignis choked in his own spit and started coughing when he meant to laugh. Gladio was feeling a little out of breath himself when he snaked an easy arm around Ignisʼ side and pressed a firm kiss on his temple. Gods, he loved him. “Fine, Gladio. That was well-played,” he conceded generously once heʼd gotten hold of himself. “But yes,” he said. 

He parted from his boyfriend, but not too far that Gladio couldnʼt weave their fingers together between them, and look at him with full adoration. Those green eyes squinted with glee, cheeks high from his unrestrained smile…when the books told him about characters falling in love again and again, he only took them for a fact but never quite accepted them for what they meant. 

Now he knew what it felt like—it was like being struck with a hammer blow that caused his heart to soar, and his stomach to drop as gravity collapsed under him and swallowed him up helplessly. Again and again, for as long as he was gazing at Ignis. 

“That was, I believe, the same year Master Martius retired,” Ignis concluded, tightening his own grasp around Gladioʼs thicker digits. “Imagine, I was, I think, just 16. In what must have been one of my first council meetings and we hadnʼt even had our first kiss yet. That was how long ago it was. And I was sitting,” he started to chuckle again, “besides Lady Verus and I could hardly move my neck to see her expression!”

“Would have paid to see that,” Gladio agreed with Ignisʼ laughter, smiling with him. “You ever caught the fourth part?”

“ _If_ there was a fourth part, you mean?” Ignis sighed, controlling his delight now before he lost his air. His eyes trained up to one of the thicker canopies looming over them. “No, I did not. And I dared not seek out the dark web for the series…” Tugging Gladio along with him, he stepped closely to the roots of an old tree and leaned towards its branches. 

“See something?” Gladio followed closely, imitating his boyfriend. Towards the higher branches, he could see clusters of what he thought looked like oranges. 

But Ignis knew better. “These are loquats. I didnʼt realize theyʼd already be in season…” He trailed off again to consider the fruits in quiet pondering. “Iʼve never tried it but…yes, I do believe I can make this work. Gladio,” he turned towards his boyfriend, “wonʼt you give me a boost?”

“Hey, arenʼt we gonna get in trouble for picking fruits?” Even then, Gladio was already considering the logistics of Ignisʼ request. Without any arching roots, it was going to be easy to set his own balance but with a smooth bark, it might not be ideal for climbing. 

“I didnʼt see it in the rules,” Ignis commented, preparing his glasses and priming his hands for the ascent with a good shake. “And you can believe that Iʼve read it through.”

“Well, guess they never really expected a certain Ignis Scientia to come along,” Gladio chuckled. The best way to do this, he decided, was to press his back firmly onto the main trunk and plant his feet on the dirt while he half-sat. He steadied his balance, then, weaving a net with his fingers at his core. 

He gave Ignis a signaling nod. Shuffling back for a bit of ground, Ignis braced his knees for the jump before he sprinted for Gladio. His foot landed squarely on his tight fingers. 

Gladio gave a mighty grunt as he hoisted him up, just as heʼd jumped and reached for one of the lower branches. From there, Ignis had an easier time winding his way higher up the foliage. If he didnʼt have the reach to do it, he certainly had the upper body strength to see him through. 

“Climb much when you were a kid?” Gladio called up to him while he balanced himself on one branch and hung onto another as a tether. 

“I had my days,” Ignis shared, reaching carefully for the first fruit. “When I was younger, we lived in my auntʼs house and I would climb the trees in our garden with my cousins whenever I was away from Noct.” With enough tugging, he managed to pry the loquat loose. “But when my sick grandmother moved in from Cleigne, they removed the trees and built a small house for her to spend the rest of her days in. Catch!”

“Hold up!” With his hands, he didnʼt trust himself not to bruise the loquat so Gladio opted to remove his tank top and use it as a basket. “Okay!” he cried. 

Ignis tossed the fruit over and he caught it safely. “My aunt and cousins moved to Cleigne after she passed away and my parents divorced. So they sold the house, and I moved in with my uncle so I could continue my duties to Noct while I was saving up for my own place.” He wound his way to another fruit and pitched it at Gladio. “I had to relearn a part of the skill during my lessons with the spear.”

“Thatʼs interesting,” Gladio commented, keeping his eyes on whatever Ignis wanted to throw at him—literally. “Didnʼt think those two would have somethinʼ in common.” He liked learning new things from and about Ignis. There were so many ways in which they were different, after all. Where Ignisʼ training was geared towards his litheness and speed, his own was always centered on prevailing over the terrain, mastering his weight and his balance so that he didnʼt topple and trip in front of his enemies and his prince. So he traded off his back flips for his rolls and his high jumps for his endurance training. 

Which made Ignis all the more special and amazing to him because he could do all those things he never could. And with how gracefully he did them, it was like those skills were invented specifically for him to play with. 

Even now, as he was swooping between branches, he made it look like a performance art worth a VIP seat. “How about you?” Ignis asked him. Another loquat down the tree. 

Gladio caught that easily, too. “Climbed a bit whenever I was in our ancestral house when I was a kid. Didnʼt really play with my cousins so it was just another test with myself.”

“You’re not close to your cousins?” Ignis began to wind his way to the other side of the tree. Gladio followed faithfully. 

“Yeah, not really. Though I think itʼs more my aunt not being close to my dad…itʼs a whole lot of jealous mess that weʼre the main branch and sheʼs not.” He caught another fruit. “My grandpaʼs always been a bit of a dick, though. Mooching off of her while heʼs praising my dad…think thatʼs why Dad moved out when he married my mom. Perks of a military family, yeah?”

“Iʼm sorry, Gladio.”

Gladio shrugged. “All water under the bridge.” Another loquat fell and he reached with his shirt for it. 

“Well,” Ignis sighed, crouching on one of the higher branches while he dusted his hands together. “I think that should be enough.”

“Can you climb down?”

“Of course,” Ignis said as he considered the challenge. “Just give me a moment.”

“Or you could just fall,” Gladio suggested while he laid down the fruits at a safe distance and came back with ready arms and hands. “Iʼll catch you damsel-style.” It was the safest way to do it. 

“Yes,” Ignis agreed, nudging at his glasses again. “I do suppose thatʼs easier. When youʼre ready, then, Gladio.”

“On your mark, Ignis.”

He watched Ignis shift a little on his branch, trying to find the best solution to his problem. In the end, he had to jump and twist himself mid-fall so that he turned his back to Gladio. 

Gladio wouldnʼt admit that his weight surprised him when he landed squarely in his arms. Ignis would hate to learn that he was under-prepared all along. He pulled him slightly towards himself to steady him while Ignis recollected himself and pushed back his glasses. 

“Okay, handsome?”

“Yes,” Ignis breathed, smiling at his boyfriend. “Thank you, Prince Charming.”

Gladio grinned at the returned compliment. He put Ignis down, then, and let the man dust himself and right his collar and his sleeves. “Good work on those fruits, they look great,” he told him. At least he thought they did. Then again, he was also the same guy who thought the redder the apple the sweeter it was until Ignis taught him the error of his ways. 

“But of course.” Ignis smirked proudly. “What else would you expect from me?” Gladio laughed, causing him to smile. 

If he had even a smidgen of Promptoʼs talent, he thought he would have tried his hand on freezing time and immortalizing this moment with the man that he loved. He had a little sweat on his brows, a little color on his cheeks from the exertion and a satisfied glow on his face. Soft green eyes sparkling under the shadows of the leaves, swaying slightly with the wind…there was a word for it. What was the word for it? 

“Gladio?”

Whatever it was, it became poetry when it was graced by Ignisʼ aspect. 

“No, just,” Gladio held him lightly by his sleeves, “just stand there. Right there. Lemme just look at you.”

“Something on my face?”

“No, I just…” He shook his head, smiling again. “I just canʼt believe how handsome my boyfriend is. I just wanna keep looking at you.”

Ignis smiled, and how that filled his heart. “You’re one to talk.” He thumped him on his bare chest. 

“Canʼt be ugly in front of my man, can I?”

“When have you ever been ugly, really?” Ignis rolled his eyes. Gladio considered the question, though. And the fact that he did… 

Ignis clicked his tongue and sighed, raising a hand to the left side of his face, so that his thumb was close enough to trace the still-sensitive scar running along his cheek, up across his eye. A miracle from the Astrals, really, but… 

Gladio turned his face a little self-consciously from the gentle touch. “Still a little hung up about it,” he admitted shyly. 

“Gladio…” Somehow, Ignis managed to make that sound like a melody. 

Gladio shrugged. “I already had a good face. Was kinda hoping I did something cooler to deserve that, too.”

“Cooler?” Ignis repeated him, keeping his voice tender and even despite the question. “What could be greater than what happened? You risked yourself to protect our prince.”

“Yeah, from a drunk bastard and a broken bottle.”

“Well, at least all your witnesses were dressed in suits and gowns,” Ignis tried to cheer him up, and that at least caused him to smile. That was the accident that almost caused them their camping trip. It happened during the gala event of a production by the royal theater where Noctis attended to represent his father. Late into the night, an upset drunk assaulted a young waitress whoʼd been rejecting his advances since the party started. Noctis jumped in to defend her and would have been the recipient of the cut if Gladio hadnʼt covered him in time to receive it. The man was arrested and the party ended soon. Noctis became everyoneʼs favorite headline in the days that followed. 

“It suits you,” Ignis went on. “I love this.” He spread his hand over his left chest, where he brushed his fingers lightly over the bird of preyʼs head, and the scar over its neck feathers—something from his own tutor Cor the Immortal during a particularly ugly lesson in the training room. “But I love this more.” He went back to his newest scar, feeling its line gently. “You earned it for your devotion to Noct and to the Crown. And it tells me more about the man that I love.”

“I love you, too, Ignis,” he hissed. Gladio always surprised himself with how much it hurt to say that. How his heart was always close to bursting that it felt like his very sternum would crack against it. And the fact that he would never learn enough words from all the books he would ever read to express himself better did not help. He loved Ignis, but he was too simple, too weak to truly say it. 

Despite that, when he heard those words, Ignis lit up as if heʼd been spoken to by a High Messenger. Maybe he ought to say it more often, he thought—but how could he even try if he didnʼt know how? When he did, it always blindsided him and left him ashamed of his inadequacy. 

Heʼll think about it later. Ignis sealed the distance between them with a quick kiss just before he slipped his arms around his broader back and pressed himself to his chest. Gladio would always have it easier with his thicker arms and Ignisʼ more slender form. 

“I love you, too, Gladio,” he sighed, full of bliss, tucked warmly in his embrace. Would he ever even so much as match that? 

Maybe heʼll try again later, he thought. When they were alone.

—

The camp was still empty late into the afternoon when they came back, although the cooler for their raw foodstuffs had been filled anew with the fruits of Noctisʼ labor. Gladio heaved a sigh of relief at the sight of those gaping fishy faces. Ignis slapped him playfully on his chest before he directed him to leave the loquats on the long table.

As for Noctis and Prompto, they found them back in the lake, chest deep in the water and laughing for all their livesʼ worth. Their clothes, the fishing rod, they left by the short bridge jutting out from the land. 

“Hey, hey, hey!” Even before Gladio made themselves known with his large voice, he was already pulling out his boots and his socks, hopping as he went. Ignis hung back with a warning, then a sigh. It probably had something to do with him leaving his stuff here and there. “Gone swimming without inviting us?” He pulled off his new shirt and left it by the dirt. 

“Gladio!” Prompto laughed, bouncing in the water with his arms high. The wristband was still on, of course. “Jump in, the waterʼs great!!”

“Uh…not sure you should have said that to him, Prompto.” Noctis was too late, though. 

Gladio had already shucked his pants by the bridge, leaving him only in his briefs and free to run out to the lake. 

“Incoming!!”

Prompto might have wailed while he and Noctis tried to bounce away. 

Gladio landed like a bomb, long legs tucked in, swallowed up by a great splash before he stretched out his limbs and resurfaced. Noctis was quick to exact his revenge with a wave of water that hit Gladio in the face. 

“Thanks to you, our clothes are wet!” Noctis fumed. 

Gladio retaliated with his own little wave which he slapped over to the prince. He was grinning, though. “Shouldnʼt have invited me to jump in, eh?”

“You werenʼt supposed to take that seriously!!” Prompto screeched. 

While all three of them fought a watery war, two against one because that was the only way it could be fair, Ignis collected all their discarded clothes and replaced them with the bottles of refreshments theyʼd brought along for the trip. 

“Iʼll leave these out to dry by the campfire,” he announced. “Try not to stay in the water for too long, itʼll be chilly once the sun is out.”

“Hey Ignis, youʼre not joining us?” Gladio was the first to notice, of course, instinctively grabbing Promptoʼs arm to keep him from sliding when the smaller man jumped onto his back in a half-hearted attempt to wrestle him under water. 

“Someone has to make sure we all have something to eat, Gladio,” Ignis replied, fixing his glasses. “And Iʼll not have you spoiling your dinner with junk food again.”

“Ignis, cʼmon!” Prompto piped up, boosting himself up higher over Gladio. “Thereʼll be time for that later, the sunʼs still high!”

“Seriously,” Noctis jumped in, crossing his arms, “when was the last time we did something like this together?” The answer was ‘never,ʼ of course. In all their years of friendship, this was the first time theyʼd all gone out like this. This was a milestone for all of them, one for the books and Promptoʼs camera roll. 

It didnʼt take much more to convince Ignis to join them after that. He didnʼt come here just to be the designated driver and chaperone, after all, he wanted to enjoy this little vacation with everyone, too.

“Very well, if the prince insists,” Ignis sighed, though the smile on his face was undeniable. For bearing the difficult job of being practically Noctisʼ de facto guardian, it wasnʼt always obvious that his company was wanted by his charge. In the end, he left their clothes at the farther end of the bridge and began to undo his shirt buttons, which was always a cause for celebration for Gladio but this time, he wasnʼt alone. 

Ignis entered the water with a long run and a sharp dive, piercing the surface smoothly, reminiscent of the daggers he preferred to wield. Prompto was the first one to freak out. “I didnʼt know he could do that?! Argh, I should have caught it on camera!!”

“Hey.” Noctis slapped Gladio on his arm and nodded to Ignis coming up from the water to wipe his face with his hands. “Take lessons.”

“Not everyone can be Ignis!!” Gladio protested. 

They spent long hours playing in the water, starting and restarting petty battles and racing each other from one end to the other with standard and made-up rules. Prompto eventually got up to fetch his camera and take some photos to remember the day by: him and Noctis on the bridge, Noctis sat atop Gladioʼs broad shoulders, both showing off their biceps, Gladio and Ignis chest-to-chest, arms around each other, just before they kissed when they thought no one was looking at them. 

Promptoʼs loud sighing was what alerted them to the attention. Ignis burned for it, bowing to hide his face and fiddle with his non-existent glasses. “So ro. Man. Tic!”

“Ugh, thatʼs disgusting!” Noctis winced, smacking his friend on his arm. “You really had to watch?”

“Noct, donʼt tell me youʼre one of those haters, too?!”

“Hey, you know Iʼm not! But cʼmon, itʼs like watching your mom and dad kiss in front of you.” A thought which caused him to shudder at some non-existent breeze. 

Before the sun set, they laid out over the bank of the lake and watched the skies darken, chatting between them. Ignis was the first to get up and usher Noctis to the shower. Back at the camp, Gladio got the fire started while Ignis skinned and gutted the fish. 

Dinner was grilled trout with loquat salsa dip and Leiden Potato slices, cooked also in the grill then salted. Dessert was marshmallow attached to sticks and charred over the campfire, washed down with some fresh coffee and some stories best shared only in a dark night among friends. 

“I didnʼt believe it was real either,” Noctis went on with his story, putting down his tin mug of coffee on the ground next to his knee. “But on New Yearʼs Eve that time, I snuck out of my bedroom to watch the fireworks display through one of the windows of the north tower. It was one of those places you could step out and sit on.”

“Ahhh, I donʼt like where this is going, Noct!!” Prompto had pulled his knees up to his chest, bound tight by his arms, coffee all but forgotten. 

“Sick during the new year? I think I remember this. Was this when you…”

“Pretended I was sick so I didnʼt have to go to this end of the year vigil or whatever,” Noctis revealed easily to Ignis whoʼd come back with a refill of coffee for himself. 

“So then what happened?” Gladio could barely keep his intrigue down. 

“So then,” Noctis held up his hands to silence his friends, picking up the story. He scanned everyoneʼs faces. Prompto somehow managed to shrink smaller while shifting closer at the same time. “After the fireworks were over, I started back through the fire exit but when I opened the door to the main floor,” he pushed the imaginary door open, then steeled himself, tense around his shoulders, “it was…completely dark.”

“Completely?!” Prompto. 

“Hey, you sure you went out through the right exit?” Gladio. 

“Unless…” Ignis got to thinking, again. 

“I was sure,” Noctis insisted to Gladio, eyes round and full of sincerity. “I mean, I thought I was,” he shrugged, flicking lightly at his fringes. “That wasnʼt the first time I went through that route, Iʼd been doing it since Ignis and I were kids. But that night, it was… _completely_ different. Felt like there werenʼt any windows around, just the pillars holding up the place.”

“You mean as if it was an empty floor space before the tenants have begun construction.”

“Exactly!” Noctis pointed to Ignis. “It was exactly like that. It was cold…and musty…and it was dark, like black dark.”

“Did you turn back?”

Noctis shook his head. Gladio laughed and clapped the prince on his shoulder to shake him. 

“Thatʼs the Prince of Lucis, all right!”

“Never been scared of the dark. And thatʼs like,” he shrugged, “my house. Whatʼs it gonna do to me?” Noctis shook his head, spreading his hands outwards. “Big mistake. Biiig, big mistake.”

“Noct, what happened?!” Prompto looked pale as a sheet. 

“I take a step forward,” the prince imitated the cautious movement with his shoulder, “and then suddenly, something… _scrapes_ at the floor, and thereʼs this loud banging sound like if someone was slamming the gate shut and the only thing I could think of was: itʼs coming closer, itʼs coming closer!”

“ _What iiis?!_ ”

“I couldnʼt see, there was nothing!” Noctis half-cried. “Everything was pitch black but I swear, it was _there_.” Prompto wailed. “First thing I think is I gotta fight it off so I summoned my sword,” he swung his hand weakly in the air, “but then the elevator dings open.”

“Where the hell did that elevator come from?!” Gladio demanded. 

“I donʼt know, I didnʼt know!” Noctis was at the cusp of laughter, though. “I was freaking out, I just wanted to get out of there! So I warp to the door, smash the ground floor button…swear to all the six gods, that was the longest elevator ride I ever took.” Gladio started to laugh while he shook his head dramatically. “But the sounds start to fade and when the doors open again, I was back on the first floor. Like I could really recognize the place and there were lights and windows and all that. I thought I was safe.” 

Prompto gripped his mug in fear. 

“But as I was running past the garden, hand to the gods, I saw a shadow streak past me from behind the window! And when I looked, the chairs in the gazebo looked like theyʼd been turned to face me—”

“Seriously?!”

“But there was no one there!” Noctis was laughing. “So I just warped for it and locked myself up in the bedroom and switched on all the lights and the TV until I couldnʼt sleep. Soon as morning came, I called Ignis and told him,” he raised his imaginary phone to his mouth, “Ignis, book me that apartment now! Now!!” Gladio guffawed wildly. 

“I remember that morning but I never realized that was the story behind it.” Ignis shared, partaking in the prince and his Shieldʼs amusement. “Since youʼd been so unwilling to tell me what happened, Iʼd only assumed it was trouble with one of your retainers there.”

“WAIT, so you never found out what they were?!”

“Itʼs the Citadel, Prompto,” Gladio explained to him between chuckles. “Couldʼve been all sorts of things! That place has been around longer than any of our families have been in Insomnia.”

“A structure as tall as the Citadel…” Ignis shook his head. “Thereʼs no way it could have been erected without misfortune.”

“Yeah, and my dadʼs hardly the first guy on the throne.” Noctis shrugged, finishing his coffee. “If it had happened during his time, you can bet heʼd have made amends.”

“With what?!” Prompto cried. 

“The vengeful spirits of the dead, of course!” Gladio grinned at the wide-eyed civilian among them. “But not everyoneʼs as fair and compassionate as His Majesty.”

“Others, I understand, are a little more unforgiving where the grandeur of the royal family is concerned,” Ignis added. He fixed his glasses. “Though one or two of them might have tried. Noct, your ghost story calls to mind this urban legend Iʼve heard of the Citadel.”

“Oh?” Noctis perched his elbows over his knees. 

“It says that among the many levels of the Citadel, there is one that has been left intentionally empty, untouched, and sealed away from any mortal intrusion since time immemorial. Its purpose was to somehow…appease the restless souls who have been felled by the Citadel.”

“So like,” Gladio spread his hand, “a house of spirits.”

“After a fashion,” Ignis confirmed. “No oneʼs ever seen it and itʼs nowhere in the blueprint or in any known texts. Until, perhaps,” he glanced at Noctis, “a certain future Chosen King had stumbled upon it on accident, on his way back to his bedroom after stealing out like a thief in the night.”

“Huh, really?” Noctis blinked. “You think that was it?”

“Heeey, why are you all three okay with this? Youʼre literally brushing shoulders with angry ghosts!!” Prompto barked, though heʼd since let go of his knees (but not quite his traumatized expression). “What if they suddenly attack you one day?!”

“Guess thatʼs when we hit back.” Gladio shrugged. 

“But you wonʼt be able to see it!!”

“Prompto, I think perhaps youʼve taken this more seriously than you ought to. Would you like more coffee?” Ignis offered. 

“Ahhh, I think Iʼm good,” Prompto giggled nervously, hanging onto his half-mug. Any more and he might end up staying up all night, thinking of the unseen horrors around them. “But seriously, shouldnʼt you guys be doing something about this?”

“Believe it or not, some houses…actually take care of ghosts,” Gladio shared. “Though…not sure if thatʼs the right word to use but thatʼs what my mom told me when I was still a kid. She said my grandma, Dadʼs mom, had this little boy she was looking after, but my dadʼs her only son.”

“Whoah, creepy,” Noctis said. 

“Perhaps a child she lost before your father?” Ignis offered. 

“Could be, never thought about it, though.” Gladio considered his empty mug for a moment. “But Iʼm trying to remember this thing my dad told me about Grandma…”

They spent the night passing stories and chips, about lingering ghosts, vengeful old murderers and their victims, crying voices in the school bathroom, other urban legends until theyʼd somehow invented a mystery lurking within Noctisʼ present part-time employment. 

He was the first one to turn in, claiming he was all talked out. Prompto followed quickly after, now more interested in his phone and his progress in _Kingʼs Knight_. 

His retainers, though, stayed out, capitalizing on the time spent away from their royal charge. 

Ignis poured out the last good serving of coffee into his mug before he went back to Gladioʼs place by the fire with the personal bottle of rum heʼd snuck in the cooler. He poured a little of the spirit into his drink and took a sip while Gladio fixed his arms around his waist and pulled him closer until he could hook his chin to his shoulder. With an approving nod, he offered the spiked caffeine to his boyfriend. “Give it a try.”

Gladio sniffed at it from behind Ignis before he took it with his right and gave it a careful taste. Liquid warmth oozed to his chest, a slightly sweet overtone carrying over the bitter notes of the concoction. “Oh, thatʼs good,” he agreed, drinking a little more before he passed it back to Ignis. “That tastes good.”

“I prefer to add some caramel just to give the sweetness more body,” Ignis shared, finishing the drink. That left him with more hands to grasp Gladioʼs wrist and forearm while he snuggled closer to him. “This was a good day, Gladio,” he sighed, facing the campfire. 

“Yeah,” he agreed, watching the timid flames himself. “I donʼt remember the last time Noct laughed so much.”

“Or us.” Ignis smiled. “Perhaps we arenʼt laughing as much as we ought to. Perhaps we ought to meet like this more often.”

“Less work, more play?” Gladio pressed a secret smile to his boyfriendʼs ear as he mumbled, “Who are you and what did you do to my Ignis?”

“I think perhaps itʼs fair for me to say that Gladio happened to your Ignis.” Gladio burst out laughing, then, only to be silenced by a sharp elbow from Ignis at the side. 

“Ouch, sorry.” He was still gasping in good cheer. 

“Be quiet, I donʼt want to be carted out of here for disturbing the peace.” Ignis clicked his tongue, shifting more comfortably where he leaned. “Iʼm too contented as it is.”

“Oh?” Gladio smirked, looking down to his boyfriend. Heʼd closed his eyes, ready to sleep if it werenʼt for the bliss on his face. “Contented to be with your Gladio?”

Ignisʼ smile stretched a little wider. “Always,” he whispered. 

Gladio remembered then that he wanted to try and tell Ignis that he loved him again, now that they were alone. But what was an _I love you_ next to an _Always_? To a quiet smile, a look of peace set aglow by the firelight, the comfort of being with each other? The knowing that this _was_ the love his tongue could never say so adequately. 

Heʼll try again, because of course he would. Anything for Ignis. But itʼll have to wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> s/o to my malaysian friend for sharing that urban legend about the ghost floor of the petronas towers right after we toured it 👍🏼 yes, that was the inspiration ahahahahaha
> 
> thanks to all the kudos and comments! ❤️


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY a bit of warning for odiophobic readers, there'll be some content related to that in this chapter! nothing particularly detailed but it's still there ❤️

Early next morning, Gladio woke up Ignis with a careful, if obvious, arm slithering around his waist and his chest pressed up to his warm back. Ignis made an irritated noise to pose the question of what the hell he was doing. 

“Gonna take Noct out for some training,” he whispered closely to his ear. In his arms, he felt him relax a little. “Iʼll bring my phone but Iʼll leave it on silent. Weʼll be back by breakfast.” Ignis confirmed his permission with another noise. Gladio raised himself slightly to press a wet kiss on his cheek before he departed his comfortable form to wind his way over to Noctis. 

He prodded him awake with an unforgiving finger, and fought several minutes of awkward and silent negotiations until he won and finally managed to pull Noctis out of the tent and into the tamed wilds of the camping ground. 

“Thought this was our vacation?” the sleepy prince mumbled, rubbing at his right eye while he followed his instructor out to the lake. It was a clear morning, quiet except for the song of birds and the distant peals of other campers enjoying the new day. A slight breeze blew over the calm water, cool to the skin, bringing its scent and the crisp fragrance of the leaves along its tail. 

“Just because weʼre on a special trip doesnʼt mean we get to slack off just like that.” Gladio braced his hands at his sides, addressing his pupil. “Our bodies need constant exercise and hardening to stay fit and limber. We miss a day, our muscle memory actually suffers more than we think. Besides, itʼs the great outdoors! Whatʼs not to be excited about that?” When he clapped his hands, that was his attempt to rally Noctis forth. 

Noctis replied with a lip sound that was less enthusiastic than he hoped for. 

Gladio shook his head. “We gotta work on that attitude of yours,” he noted, jabbing an easy finger at the air between them. “Not everythingʼs about phones and electronics, yʼknow?”

“You sound like an old man,” Noctis snorted weakly with a limp smirk. 

“Yeah?” Gladio crossed his arms. “Well this old man looks like heʼs got more life in him than you. Cʼmon, Iʼll go easy on you this morning!” He was raring to go. Then again, easy for Gladio didnʼt always mean easy for Noctis, but that was neither here nor there. 

He started him on some basic warm-ups, as was his style. All that stretching did well to pry Noctis free from the zombie grips of sleep. A little more, and he was finally among the living, working up a little sweat and chatting beyond the confines of his lips. 

“So, whatʼs the plan today? Last day out here.” Whatever it was, it better be good. Even Gladio was having his own thoughts of a last hurrah before he went back to his duties with the Crownsguard. 

“Uhh…Prompto wants to go to that Private Forest later and I promised to keep him company,” Noctis recounted, pulling his right elbow at the back of his head. When Gladio shifted to the other elbow, he did the same. “Then after sundown,” he nodded to the glimmering surface beside them, illuminated by the early sun, “am going back here for some night fishing.”

“Oh, thatʼs more like it!” Gladio grinned. Despite being a man of the outdoors, he never really understood the intricacies of fishing and what lured, pun intended, the crown prince to it. But he did what he could to encourage the prince to pursue his passion. There was little else besides them who would do it and he wanted to be there for him as a big brother figure and a friend. Life didnʼt have to be all about royal duties and training, after all. “Seize the day, eh?”

“Seize the night, you mean.” Noctis grinned back. 

Gladio groaned, dropping his head as he shook it. “Canʼt believe you let Ignis rub off on you like this.”

He guided him through some basic strength and endurance exercises, walking lunges, running back and forth along the bank of the lake, pull-ups on low-hanging branches…then as a treat before cool down, he taught him how to scale a tree, which Noctis had a natural gift for. Soon enough, he was monkeying his way up to higher reaches until heʼd all but disappeared behind a cover of leaves and woodery. 

“Good job,” he cried up to him, stripping off his tank top to dab over his sweat. “Now youʼve got another way to escape your responsibilities!”

“Donʼt tell Ignis!” Noctis called back down. 

By the time they were back in the camp, Prompto and Ignis were finally awake, one taking photos of everything he already had photos of, the other sprinkling something over a silver bowl and then tossing the contents with his right. Gladio would never get over how much he enjoyed watching Ignis cook. Getting his hands dirty, as it were, with his sleeves rolled back to his elbows, his square posture, that look of concentration on his face… 

If this was what a domestic life looked like and they had the luck of being less important men, Gladio might have been convinced to retire in his 20s just so he could wake up to this sight every morning of his life. Obviously that wasnʼt the case but he would take whatever miracles he could get. 

Noctis rolled his eyes when Gladio shooed him away. When Prompto caught sight of him creeping up to Ignis, he pressed his finger to his lips. Prompto jolted up straight and copied his gesture. 

“Noct,” Ignis called, though he refused to take his eyes off his work, “are you back?” 

It was the perfect opportunity for Gladio to seize him from the back and entrap him in a fierce bear hug, adding a kiss that was damp from his sweat. There was a beat where Ignis froze rigidly in his arms. 

That happened before he roared out an angry, “ _Gladio!!_ ” and shoved him back, breaking his embrace by the sheer power of his shoulders. His right arm came up quickly as a threat before Gladio recovered himself. 

He laughed wildly at Ignisʼ sharp retaliation. Prompto was dancing in glee himself. “Cʼmon, canʼt I give my hard-working boyfriend a good morning kiss?” he teased. 

“Canʼt you have the decency to take a shower before that?” Ignis snapped back. “Gods, I can feel your sweat through my shirt!” Which was the point of Gladioʼs loving assault. 

He made several false attempts of the same vein until Noctis, fresh and clean, made a reappearance and Ignis forced him to the shower by the point of his dagger. 

Breakfast was rice cake with lake fish grilled in soy sauce and seasoned with sesame seeds, wrapped in seaweed. After cleaning up, they went with Prompto for his nature walk where Gladio proceeded to point out to him little colored lizards, the bird nest on the ground, mushrooms growing from the roots, Noctis picking fruits for Ignis… 

Ignis grilled the leftover Anak meat for lunch, letting the freshly picked apples cook in a pot with water for their juice. Noctis indulged himself with a nap after and Prompto made his way back to the trees, a different camera in tow, to satisfy his trigger finger. 

As for Gladio, he might have spent the afternoon forced to help Ignis prepare the meat for their dinner and maybe even start packing up for tomorrowʼs return trip if he hadnʼt convinced his boyfriend, with fond hugs and persistent butterfly kisses, to come to the lake with him. 

“I didnʼt realize youʼd like the lake this much.”

“Well, I asked Noct what he was thinkinʼ of doing today,” Gladio began, hopping into the water from the stunted bridge and bouncing his way to Ignis who ran his fingers over his damp hair. “And I realized, for myself,” with scooping arms, he brought them both chest to chest, “I wanted to spend some more time with you before we went back home. Think about it, whenʼs the next time we can swim in a lake again? Even though itʼs man-made.”

“Good question,” Ignis chuckled, smiling closely at Gladioʼs face while he wrapped his long arms over the back of his neck. “Would that the answer were as promising.”

“‘xactly what I was thinking,” Gladio shared, matching him with a little smirk. “You wonʼt even have time to drop your bags in your place before youʼre running off to the Citadel.”

“Itʼs not an ideal arrangement,” Ignis agreed, meeting him on his forehead. Gladio closed his eyes with him, steeping himself in the warmth of his nearness. “But I wonʼt complain. The time I got to spend with everyone here…with you and Noct and Prompto…itʼs more than what I could ask for.”

“We could always come back.”

“In another year and a half?” Ignis joked about the length of time it took them to get where they were now. “I would like nothing more, though I find it difficult to imagine what sort of life we may be leading by then.”

“Donʼt have to do it now,” Gladio told him, opening his eyes to look closely at Ignisʼ face. “Donʼt have to think of anything now that isnʼt us.”

“Or dinner.”

Gladio rolled his eyes as Ignis grinned, now watching him, as well. “Should've brought the kitchen with us here.”

“Make it with me.”

“You serious?”

“Please,” Ignis asked, now toying with those thick locks where they reached his jaw. Since Gladio had been permitted to grow his hair beyond the Crownsguardʼs rules, he had never looked back a day. “I would like nothing more than to spend time with you making everyoneʼs dinner with me tonight.”

“You’re gonna make me poison everyone.”

“Obviously Iʼll be the one taking care of the actual cooking.”

“Donʼt know if I should be happy or offended to hear that.”

Ignis snickered breathily through his smile and pressed a kiss on Gladioʼs lips. He certainly knew how to appease _and_ thrill his reluctant boyfriend at once. “Youʼll do it, of course,” he persisted. 

Gladio groaned, shaking his head. “We still pretendinʼ I got a choice here?” Ignisʼ beam was both triumphant and tickled happy. When Gladio kissed him, he raised his arms off his shoulders so he could grasp the back of his head and his neck to hold him in place. 

They must have spent more time kissing in the water than actually swimming in it. And when they tired of that, Gladio carried Ignis out to lay him down the bank so he could kiss him there again. This time, at least, he could reach him below the shoulders, run his tongue along the vague line over his skin where his chest began. And his left hand, he could trail it along his hard abdomen, down through the band of his soaked boxers. His length waited keenly for his warm touch there. 

Ignis hissed, shifting to spread his legs a little wider before he sighed and settled in under Gladioʼs kneading fingers. “Not too hard,” he whispered. “Donʼt make me scream.” Noctis and Prompto would hear. 

Gladio smirked at his wet chest. “And here I thought youʼd tell me to stop.”

“Unfortunately for me, youʼve clouded my better judgment,” Ignis groaned. “Yes, there, right there. Slowly, gently.”

He was tracing that sensitive vein under his cock when heʼd said that. Gladio became more mindful of his actions, making a conscious effort not to kiss Ignisʼ wanting nipples no matter how tempted and close he was to do it. To keep his mind off it, he scaled back to Ignisʼ clavicle, up the side of his throat and then his left ear so he could kiss it. “Still feels good?” he crooned. Without his usual methods, he had to rely on his clumsy words to turn up the heat, as it were. 

But it was working. “Yes,” Ignis sighed, eyes now closed to absorb the moment. “So, so good.”

“Anyone touched you like this before?”

“Many have tried,” Ignis chuckled. When he opened his eyes, it was to gaze closely into Gladioʼs. He was starting to blush, but if he slowed down, Gladio knew he would ruin everything. “No one came this close to you.”

Gladio smirked at that accolade. He didnʼt care that he wasnʼt the first one to pleasure Ignis like this, he wasnʼt a virgin the first night Ignis took him either. He flicked his tongue upwards over Ignisʼ lips and welcomed himself to his open mouth, sucking at their shared air and running his tongue carefully over his wet warmth, playing a little with his own tongue. 

He only broke his kiss when he heard Ignis grunt through it and stilled himself, loosening his stroking hand. Already, he could feel some sticky dampness clinging to his fingers. Ignis wriggled under him, then, pushing down his boxers. His erection stood proudly once heʼd freed it from the cotton. 

Then he grabbed Gladio by the chin and raised himself to kiss him again. He took that as his cue to continue his hand, taking a little risk by squeezing the base of his shaft. 

Ignis whimpered tightly within their mouths. He softened his grip again and let his thumb run along his leaking slit, spreading pre-cum over his feverish head. Ignisʼ deep moan twisted a heavy strain against his briefs. Figures he would be getting hard over this himself, but that was a problem for another time. 

For now he was enjoying Ignis too much to let him go, despite all the temptations he had to keep at bay. To lick him, suck him, hum while he was in his mouth, all those things he knew would please his boyfriend. It helped that he was on his side and couldnʼt repurpose his right hand from bearing his weight. 

“Close,” Ignis groaned, breaking free to watch Gladioʼs hand rub his cock. He twitched with excitement, toes curling while he raised himself on his elbows and his hips to meet Gladioʼs descending fist. He groaned more deeply at the contact. “So close, Gladio!” That one, a whisper and a moan at once. 

“Do you want me to kiss you down there?” Gladio kept his motions steady so Ignis could catch up. 

Ignis shook his head. “Iʼll need your mouth for when I come. I donʼt want to have to bite my tongue.”

Gladio nodded. “My mouth is yours to use as you like. Until then,” he whispered closely to Ignisʼ ear, “youʼre welcome to watch me please your greatness.”

Ignis gurgled out another deep noise as he threw his head back. His damp chest rose and fell with his chiseled stomach. Gods, what Gladio would do just to run his tongue along those muscles. 

“Mm, Ignis,” he mumbled to his ear, forcing the tight coil in his cock off his mind. “If you could only see yourself the way I see you. How badly I want to worship you with my tongue.” Ignis hissed and swallowed down a moan, still humping his hips, running his tongue over his lips while he watched Gladio stroke him. “Beautiful doesnʼt even cut it. Youʼre special, Ignis. Youʼre built in a way that would leave even the Astrals wanting.”

“Go on,” Ignis begged. 

“Every inch of your skin leaves me dry and thirsty every time I see you move,” Gladio hissed to his ear. “Your teats, your abs, your ass, I want them all over me. I want my mouth and my hands full of your body. Do you want to know what goes on in my mind when I watch you train?”

Ignis nodded, biting his lips, still taken by the sight of his erection dipping and rising within Gladioʼs fist. 

“I think I want to strip you,” Gladio breathed. “Slowly, piece by piece. I think about sparring with you and winning. And for my reward, I think I want to cut your shirt open so I can slake my thirst with the sweat on your skin.” Ignis groaned, his swollen flesh stirring again in his fingers at the thought of it. “And then with the same shirt, Iʼll tie you up at the back and rip your pants open to feast myself on your ass.”

“Oh—!” Ignis couldnʼt bite back his pleasure when he squirmed his hips. 

“You like that, huh?” Gladio chuckled deeply in his breath. “You like my tongue slicking up your hole, lapping you up like a dog. You like to see me with my face in your ass and maybe you like it when I suck you down there, too. You wanna know why?” He laughed quietly. “‘cause youʼre my favorite food, Scientia.” Ignis whimpered, bucking suddenly in his hand. “You’re my—”

Ignis might have almost snapped his neck if he hadnʼt been, well, Ignis and been less careful when he snatched his face and forced their mouths together, filling it with his cry. Gladio felt his entire being shudder to his core, his very lungs losing breath while Ignis moaned so richly inside him. He forgot all about himself, his hand… 

Drenched now, with Ignisʼ seeds, still spilling out of him. His grip, once so sure of itself, suddenly felt clumsy as he pumped the sagging flesh in his fingers. Ignisʼ song rang higher and higher inside their mouths while his hips spasmed and he spent himself. 

Gladio felt a little winded up himself when theyʼd finally parted, staring a little in shock at those enticing green eyes. His fingers felt different, thick with Ignisʼ release, as he opened them. At any other time, he might have made a show of licking them, or smearing them all over his naked chest or his hard cock. 

Instead, he left Ignis where he laid exposed and dazed on the dirt and stumbled back to the lake, jumping into the deeper part to cool himself down. He wiped his hand on his stomach then splashed cold water to his head. 

Soon after, he heard Ignis join him with a loud splash, swimming to a different side of the lake. If the risk hadnʼt been too great, Gladio would have been laughing at him and his boyfriend now for acting like uncontrollable high school students. 

It would have to wait. “Hey, Gladio, Ignis! Can I fish?”

Talk about timing. Noctis stood at the start of the bridge, fishing rod rested on one shoulder, tackle bag in the other fist by his waist. Prompto was nowhere to be seen yet. 

Gladio forced a beam on his face while he spread out his arms. “Come fish me out, then!” Better act normal. He hoped he was acting normal despite the steady drumming of his heart. That was close, that was so close. And Ignis had been so hot and wanting. 

“I canʼt even lure you, your bait is right there!” Noctis pointed his rod to Ignis pushing his drenched hair back off his eyes with his left. For whatever it was worth, that caused Gladio to laugh loudly, distracting him from the tightness in his groin. 

Ignis still sounded odd when he raised a warning finger at Noctis. “Iʼll remember you said that, Noct.” He coughed. “Tonight, you either eat your vegetables or you eat nothing at all.”

“What?!” Noctis cried. “Ignis, that was a joke!”

“Lay off him, Ignis. I liked it!” Gladio shared all gleefully, bouncing over to the right side bank, towards where he left his clothes. “Iʼll just take a shower, Ignis.”

“Very well,” Ignis replied, though Gladio wouldnʼt look at him anymore. “Iʼll be taking one myself before I prepare the ingredients weʼll be requiring for dinner.”

“Hey, seriously? Gladioʼs helping?” Noctisʼ loud fake whisper. “What did you do to him?”

“Do you really want to ask a question between two lovers?”

“Uh…on second thoughts, no. Youʼre right. Forget I asked.”

Gladio passed Prompto on his way to the shower and shared a fist bump with him. After a thorough cleaning of his body and certain things he was feeling down there, he was back on Ignisʼ side by the long table, taking him carefully with an easy embrace at the side, just so he could kiss his damp hair gently. The smell of his shampoo, _Spring Aloe_ he remembered what it read on the bottle, clung sweetly to him. 

“Sorry I left you there just like that,” he whispered, watching Ignisʼ expert hand cut a stick of carrot in equal crescents. “Didnʼt even stay long enough to tuck you back in your boxers but I didnʼt wanna risk it with His Highness around.”

“Thereʼs nothing to explain, Gladio,” Ignis chuckled. In a freshly pressed shirt and his characteristic slacks, he looked nothing like the man heʼd finished off on the dirt. The miracle of Ignis Scientia. “You and I are both adults in the service of the prince. I wonʼt get hurt by such trivialities. Besides,” he pinched Gladioʼs chin with his cleaner hand so they could face each other and he could smile at him. “I owe you the sweetest gratitude for touching me like that. I enjoyed it very much.”

“Anything for my Ignis,” Gladio replied, grinning. They shared a brief kiss between them, suddenly mindful of how easily they could set each other off with just about any kind of touching. 

“Take a knife,” Ignis instructed, sliding the carrots to one side of the chopping board as he tossed a garlic in his hand. “Do you know how to peel garlic cloves?”

“Uh…with a paring knife?”

Ignis sighed.

—

Dinner was braised Dualhorn steak with carrots and radish, a stew which even Gladioʼs inexperience could never ruin, Ignis assured him. Much of the work he was involved in was chopping up things and then stirring whatever Ignis put in the pot.

While it simmered, Ignis allowed them both to join Noctis and Prompto just as the prince was reeling in a fresh catch and ended up finishing dinner preparations on his own when Gladio didnʼt volunteer to go back with him. 

After a full meal (Noctis never touched his carrots and radish), both he and his friend were back at it, leaving both retainers to clean up and start packing up a little for tomorrowʼs return journey. 

Or so Gladio thought. Heʼd just finished disassembling the grill and the long table when Ignis came up behind him, fingers still damp from washing their dishes, and wrapped his long arms around his waist. That sweet little gesture alone was enough to cause him to smile, larger hands resting easily on Ignisʼ more slender ones. 

“Well, the kids are away,” Ignis noted to him while he pressed a kiss on an exposed patch of skin just under his shoulder where his tank top couldnʼt reach. He looked up to his boyfriend just as Gladio turned around to give him a funny smile. And here he thought Ignis was just in for a little…safe kind of intimacy. 

“Ignis,” he chuckled, twisting in his embrace so they could be front to front. Ignis located his left nipple easily from under the fabric and planted it a kiss. “Am I thinking what youʼre thinking?”

“You’re a smart man, Gladio. Thereʼs no need to doubt it. Still, perhaps this will make it more obvious.” The next clue he gave was his right hand slithering down to grasp his shape between his legs. 

A dangerous proposition, especially considering Ignisʼ talent with the hand. Gladio started a little funnily in his fingers, the first half-second to pry himself away, the other to draw closer while he looked back over his shoulder to where these ‘kidsʼ had taken off to. “Shit, you serious?” he hissed, facing Ignis with an entertained smile. Ignis was prodding that flesh under the fabric now. “Noct and Prompto could hear us.”

“If you scream, they will.”

“Me?” Gladio chuckled. “Ignis, stop, I donʼt have another pair of pants.”

“So take it off.”

“You’re persistent.”

“Just doing some advanced work,” Ignis pointed out with a smile. He was running the span of his palm over the length of Gladioʼs cock now. Even through the fabric, he knew how to work his magic. Gladio shifted, torn between inaction and pressing himself against the teasing hand. Both had their advantages. “We donʼt have much time, Gladio. This is our last night here and we donʼt know when weʼll get to enjoy ourselves like this again. I donʼt want to leave this place full of regrets.”

“I see someoneʼs been thinkinʼ about what I said earlier.”

“You made sure I wouldnʼt forget.” Ignis shared his quiet laughter while Gladio dipped just low enough to catch him for a kiss. “Wonʼt you let me pleasure you this time?” he pressed on after, in a whisper that was only slightly urgent. “Seems hardly fair to me that I never got to touch you by the lake.”

“Still wanna kiss you all over, though,” Gladio crooned, placing a hand on Ignisʼ cheek to trace the skin under the rim of his glasses. “I wanna see you naked in the firelight.”

“We can do that,” Ignis agreed with a furtive smirk. “Iʼll let you touch me however you want as long as it doesnʼt arouse me. Before our time ends, I want to finish you off myself. Will you give me that much?” When had Gladio never given into Ignis? 

With a smile of his own, he nodded. “You know I canʼt say no to you, Ignis.”

—

Ignis was…as beautiful in the firelight as Gladioʼs best imaginations had let him dream of, perhaps even more.

Definitely even more—there was no way he could have painted the shadows from those sculpted muscles from memory alone, or the touch of light along the curve of those hips or the golden glow cast over the flat of that stomach. He thought he knew this body well enough to dream it every night but even his hands would always caress secret shudders, and his lips, his mouth would always be in a path of rediscovery. 

He had Ignis lie down next to the campfire as he undid his buttons and slipped off his shirt up his arms. Those lovely wrists, Gladio kissed their pulses before he raised them over Ignisʼ head and trailed his way back to his boyfriendʼs lips through his arms. He ran his hand over Ignisʼ side while he peppered more kisses along his strong jaw, the crook of his neck. 

Down to his hard chest, briefly around his tender nipples…Gladioʼs lips followed a constellation along Ignisʼ skin that was known only to him. It led him along the lines of Ignisʼ abdomen, the fold of his leg which pointed to the soft flesh between his thighs when Gladio peeled his pants and boxers. He kissed that, too, as lightly as he could manage. 

Ignis was watching him; he could feel it as he carried his knee up with him to adorn it, its thigh and its calf with their own kisses. And when Gladio finally met his gaze, he smiled, arms still folded up over his head in a look of complete repose. He was long and slender, and so handsome, cast like a god by the warm light. A sculpture of an idol molded from the richest gold. A living work of art worthy of veneration. 

Beautiful. Gorgeous. Exquisite. Intoxicating. There was no word invented for Ignis yet. Gladio was on his knees, kissing his toes and the pad of his foot as he beheld the rare sight beneath him. He would go home happy with this image in his dreams, satisfied and fulfilled. 

He couldnʼt part from Ignis for too long. He put down his foot, then, and crawled his way back to his smile, laying over it a deep kiss while his needy hands consumed his buttocks, the shape of his sides, his chest, brushing greedily over his teats before they finally found their way under Ignisʼ back and pulled him up to a tight embrace. 

They pulled apart quickly when they thought Prompto was coming, grabbing Ignisʼ clothes and escaping to the trees through the dirt path leading left. 

Gladio was the first to laugh as soon as theyʼd run far enough, slowing down on his feet so he could brace his hands on his knees, one of them full of Ignisʼ stuff. His grin could barely contain his amusement when he looked up to face Ignis, looking back over his shoulder in all his naked glory. 

“I think weʼre safe,” Ignis whistled, padding towards his boyfriend. 

Gladio welcomed him within his arms so he could at least drape his white shirt over his shoulders. Ignis pressed them both together with his own embrace. 

“Donʼt you think itʼs funny?” Gladio pointed out to him, holding Ignis close within the loop of his arms. “Noct and Prompto are out there, fishing like old men while both of us fool around like weʼre theyʼre age.”

“Well, I think itʼs only fair that we get a chance to be like children again, in the midst of our duties to the young prince,” Ignis countered, smiling handsomely while he began to unbuckle Gladioʼs pants. “And I daresay we still have some time left before the proverbial clock strikes 12.”

“Right, right,” Gladio chuckled, pulling up his shirt as soon as Ignis had freed his belt. “I hear ya loud and clear.”

They made quick work of his clothes, dispensing of any foreplay or any such similar drama. Ignis knew what he wanted and went right for it—Gladio spread out on the ground and him straddling him. 

“Shit, I just remembered,” Gladio began suddenly, turning to the direction of the camp while Ignis shoved his arms through the sleeves of his shirt and rolled them expertly to his elbows. “The lube. I left it in the tent—”

“ _You_ left it,” Ignis stopped him, falling to his chest so he could kiss him on his lips. “I didnʼt. Just relax. Let me take care of you tonight.” Soft words that caused Gladio to shiver. His boyfriend could say them to him every night and he would never get tired of them. Ignis looked back over his shoulder, past the silhouettes of leaves in the midst of a clear night. “Look—the stars are out. Watching over us.” He looked back to Gladio and smiled at him, familiar hands exploring the breadth of his chest. “Watching _us_.”

In the days before he pursued Ignis, he would never have expected the prudish man to have his voyeuristic tendencies, or his seductive ways. Gladio would never have known how he could move his tongue like silk along his cock, or how his soft lips could suck lightly along its girth in wet kisses. What he couldnʼt reach, he gave to his hands; he never did enjoy forcing Gladioʼs entirety in his mouth, something they tried when they were just getting to know each otherʼs turn ons. Besides, he knew how much Gladio loved those fingers—loved it when they gripped him just short of being painful, or stroked him first in feverish, cruel motions and then slowly, gently to leave him begging for the harsher treatment. 

Tonight, though, he kept his rhythm steady, his thumb sliding idly along that tender line under his erection while he rolled his fruits carefully in his other hand. His tongue ran lewdly along his slit, scooping up the pre-cum by its wicked tip. 

“Relax,” Ignis chuckled when he felt him twitch. He sucked his glans lightly with the inside of his lips before he smiled at Gladio. “Leave this to me.”

How could he relax when he looked like that? Practically naked, kneeling between his legs in perfect servitude? And the way he pleased his flesh, it was…fascinating to say the least. 

But Gladio wanted this experience Ignis had orchestrated for him. He would try it even just to please him. 

He forced his excitement out in a deep exhale as he spread his limbs wider, looking up to the sky. “Thatʼs more like it,” Ignis said with approval; he could feel his laughter from that wet kiss on his length. 

It was true what he said—the stars looked like they were out in full tonight, scattered across the deep blue skies. He couldnʼt remember if they had always been this bright, considering the Crown Cityʼs light pollution. Or if heʼd even considered looking at them at all… 

Until now, splayed out over the cool earth, a cloying heat creeping up between his legs. He shifted suddenly at the wet fingers piercing him through his entrance, inhaling sharply as he groaned out, “Ignis—!” 

Ignis hushed him, then giggled when he clenched urgently around him, as if he wasnʼt one to do that himself. “I like it tight, Gladio, but not this tight,” he cooed. A problem he opted to solve by bending his digits a little, causing him to jump and tighten around his balls. Now he was just teasing him. 

Gladio couldnʼt avoid him, then—his free hand was damp when he raised one of his knees up, trusting Gladio to take care of the other. “Ignis…!” he hissed, watching on though he could only feel him prying him wider with three fingers, pressing at all his sensitive points and making his knees and middle weak. He didnʼt know why heʼd called his name, this wasnʼt the first time they did this. 

“Just relax.” Ignis couldnʼt keep his amusement to himself, though. “Relax for me, youʼre tenser than a clam for cooking.”

Well, that was a serious killer. Gladio snorted to let him know what he thought of that, though it did take his mind off of Ignisʼ ministrations in his walls. 

“There,” Ignis breathed, smiling lovingly at him like he was a child whoʼd done his work well. His heart swelled. “Thatʼs better,” he said to him, rewarding him with a little peck on his feverish head which only made Gladio reach for his lips with his pelvis because he wanted more of that. “Later,” Ignis promised him, guiding him back gently to the ground. He was multitasking now, turning his fingers inside Gladio while he pumped his own erection with his other hand. 

Gladio licked his lips, squirming at how deep he was reaching. He wanted that—all of this. Gods, he wanted him in his mouth, nestled inside him… 

“Now I know what you feel when I take my time with you,” Gladio croaked, his throat parched. 

Ignis laughed, and how he adored the sound of it. He wished he could watch him and listen to him laugh all night. “I see the top has lived long enough to be the bottom.”

“Ah yeah?” Gladio grinned lopsidedly. Before he knew it, he was moving his buttocks along Ignisʼ fingers. “You donʼt mind if I unseat you?”

Ignis warned him with squinted eyes. He was never shy about how much he enjoyed being penetrated, how it made him come harder than if he was stimulated only from the front. It was one of those pillow talks they had during the first few times they had sex. “I wouldnʼt dare if I were you. Besides, you wouldnʼt last—you always finish too soon when I take you.” Well, that was true—it was one of those things they talked about, as well, and he never denied it. “And Iʼm still holding you to that fantasy you promised me earlier by the lake.”

“I see the warriorʼs lived long enough to be the loser,” Gladio teased. 

“Fantasy,” Ignis repeated that word to remind him. “Itʼs up to you to make it real for me. In the meantime,” he released his cock from his slick hand and trailed a wet line down Gladioʼs chest and abs, the lightness of it causing him to suck in his breath, “allow me to make one of yours come true.”

With his thumbs, he pried his cheeks open and lined up until his rigid head was pressed flush to his entrance. Gladio felt his knees tense at its feathery touch until carefully, he sank into him. 

Gladioʼs groan thundered deeply in his chest as he rose up to meet him, eyes rolling up to the sky as he tightened around his length, blood rushing to all his extremities. Ignis was hot and thick, and so hard, he might have trembled a little in equal parts of fear and excitement to have him so deep. He couldnʼt stop himself from jolting his hips up or tensing his thighs. 

“Take it easy!” Ignis couldnʼt stop himself from laughing, though he kept his voice soft. The humor of it infected Gladio easily enough, and they had to take a moment to sort themselves before Ignis could push further on. 

Success was the trembling of Ignisʼ hips and the moan strangling Gladioʼs throat when he had buried himself completely, flush into his core. Ignis tested their fit with a few gentle thrusts and found that he liked it when Gladio cried softly and jumped, smiling brightly to himself. It was strange…it would always feel strange for him to be taken, to be so full and in the mercy of another man. Trained his whole life to protect and stay guarded, he would never be used to being put in this position of being vulnerable. That was half the thrill of it, though. 

The other half was the very man on top of him, who Gladio welcomed to his arms happily and wrapped tightly in them. He raised his knees a little higher so Ignis could grind deeper into him. With his love pressed flush to him, the uncertainty was gone, leaving only the joy of having been taken by him so fully. When Ignis rocked his hips, it sent him straight to Gladioʼs prostate, making him tense with a gasp and a swallowed moan. It felt glorious. 

They kissed, only briefly. Gladio would have wanted it to be longer but Ignis had moved on to his ear and his neck, rocking his pelvis still, each forward motion meeting his sweet spot with a steady brush. Silky heat flooded up his belly and down his thighs as he curled his toes. 

He groaned again, pressing his cheek to Ignisʼ hair, with nothing to look at still but the night sky. It was only then that he realized what his boyfriend had been doing: he was making love to him under the stars. 

Gladio laughed suddenly, straining between him and Ignis. He loved him. Who knew a serious, dutiful man like him would actually have a bone of romance in him? Gods, he loved him… 

He had to pry Ignisʼ mouth from where it was leaving him a love bite over one of his wings so he could smile at him and kiss him again. Gladio rolled his hips upwards so Ignis could thrust deeper inside him, joining Ignis in a soft chorus of pleasure. He needed him to know how much he loved him. 

“Thank you,” Gladio whispered, cupping him by the corner of his cheek. Ignis smiled back at him dipping gently into his clenching walls. The wet friction sent a lick of fire up to his groin, his brows pinching by a fraction as he tightened around him, almost desperate to keep him there. “Thank you for giving me this.”

“Itʼs the easiest thing, Gladio,” Ignis purred. 

He graced him with one last kiss before he carried himself up, pulling farther to plunge deeply again, making Gladio gasp and twist beneath him, a heady warmth blossoming from where they joined. His cock wept desperately at the pleasure. A dangerous hand reached to roll his hard nipple between its long fingers, sending electricity up and down his supine form while Ignis explored the swells and dips of his muscles with his other hand, as he had done with him earlier by the campfire. Those calloused fingers felt so good where they scraped him lightly, sliding down his waist, scooping up his ass so Ignis could shove himself sharply in addictive repetitions. 

“Ignis—!” he choked, biting his lip before he could get too loud even when his insides were screaming with lust. And then those wicked hands swept along the valley of his chest and his stomach again when he resumed a more guiding motion with his hips. It was killing him with so much pleasure, and hypnotizing, to say the least. 

And Gladio could watch it all from where he lied, another gift from his boyfriend. It wasnʼt often that Ignis took him and when he did, he was almost always lying face down, so Ignis could run his hands along his inked back. So tonight was a rare occasion for him to watch Ignis at work, the way his belly seemed to roll with his ass, how his muscles flexed and tightened as he bit his lips and hummed out a song, pulling his head back. Gladio drew his eyes to the heaving of his chest, the line of sweat trailing down from his neck.

He licked his lips, suddenly so thirsty for the man. He wanted to drink him, whatever he could offer. 

When Ignis looked at him again, he was already panting lightly and red in the face, his hair rather tousled. His hands, he moved them up and down Gladioʼs physique, catching his teats on his palms each trip they made. Gladio stirred angrily, jealous for those hands. “You’re breathtaking,” he gasped, pushing against his chest just to feel how strong it was. “How can you wake up everyday with this magnificent body and not think about having sex with yourself?”

That made Gladio laugh despite the tight coil of his arousal as Ignis moved steadily inside him. “I take it you havenʼt asked yourself that same question, huh? ‘cause you havenʼt shared me the answer yet.” Ignis cracked up breathlessly in response, and this time he couldnʼt stop himself from reaching up to his chest and sliding his hands down to his strong thighs through his tight ass. Gorgeous…he was so gorgeous! 

“Hey, Ignis—” Gladio made a strange pleasured noise when Ignis hit him deeply again, jumping at the shock. “Remember how you like me to finish you?”

“Pinned under you?” Ignis supplied readily. 

Gladio nodded. “I got a request.” And somehow, that made Ignis smile brighter, almost made him look giddy like a boy. How could he both be so alluring and cute at the same time? “Do that to me, too. I wanna know how it feels like with you.”

Ignis was more than happy to oblige, if that sparkle in his eyes and that color in his cheeks were anything to go by. He descended happily back into Gladioʼs arms so they could kiss before he hid himself back to his shoulder to revisit his hickey. Giving Gladio a spectacular view of the stars witnessing their love again, as he held his close to his heart while he fucked him eagerly. 

It didnʼt take much more for him to come undone, hips trembling and bucking as he poured out between them with a silent cry. Ignis tried to keep with his motions still but sooner abandoned the effort so he could pull out and finish himself off in rapid strokes. Gladio couldnʼt swallow down his approval when Ignis spilled warmly all over him. 

How they managed to do all that without giving themselves away was beyond him. He helped Ignis lay down beside him on his left, the man sighing with a comfortable hum and a satisfied smile on his face. “That…was amazing, Ignis,” he whispered, too heavy with bliss to do much else. “You felt so good inside…” Ignis for his part could only look back in love, and it wasnʼt until Gladio was laughing that he joined him and pulled himself to meet him, as well. 

They kissed, tongues reaching out to tangle briefly as they sealed their mouths. Gladio raised himself by his elbow when Ignis lied back down the ground, carrying his head on his fist, and for a second there, all they could do was look happily at each other. Later, Gladio moved his right hand lightly to trace the part of Ignisʼ clavicle that was exposed from the shirt. He became keenly aware of his nakedness, then, and the cool breeze blowing softly over them. 

Ignis swept a finger over the seeds theyʼd spent on Gladioʼs stomach. “Weʼll need to do something about this before we meet up with the others.” As if his own stomach wasnʼt stained with the same evidence. 

Gladio shrugged. “Could just put a shirt on.” When Ignis clicked his tongue, he snickered, beaming brightly. “Iʼll see if I can sneak into the camp and get us some tissue.”

“Of course that wonʼt be necessary,” Ignis stopped him, getting up to sit so he could reach for his trousers. That was the only time Gladio noticed the handy bottle heʼd brought along, taken from his personal kit. “Just because a certain someone forgot to bring some essentials despite my earlier warning doesnʼt mean I did.” From one of his pockets, he extracted a small pack of wet tissues, the one that came in sheets of ten. 

“Well, I seem to remember that between the two of us, there was a certain someone here who really wanted to fuck me under the stars. So whose fault is it again?” Gladio snorted. 

“You,” Ignis insisted with a coy smile, leaning towards him while he wiped himself, “for being very handsome.”

“Guilty as charged,” Gladio chuckled, grinning as he met his lips—

“ _Help!!_ ” Noctis cried. “Gladio, Ignis! Anyone, I need help!!”

“ _Noct!!_ ” Ignis yelled back with the fullest force of his panic. It was only then that Gladio came to realize what was happening, and cold gripping fear flooded him to his guts. That had been Noctisʼ voice, Noctis was screaming for help—

“Ignis, wait!!”

“Gladio?!” Ignis stared at him with a look that was both horrified and shocked. Gladio had caught him by the wrist just as heʼd been about to take off. 

“You canʼt go anywhere looking like that. At least put some pants on!”

“But Noct—!”

“If Noct can still cry for help then that means heʼs not yet too bad.” Gladio shoved Ignisʼ pair of slacks to his chest. “Now get moving!!” Brave words; despite what he said, he could barely keep his fingers together as they pulled up his briefs and fought with the zipper of his pants. 

Before long, they were running, the concept of buttons (Ignisʼ shirt was only half-done and not even tucked into his pants, anymore) and footwear abandoned as they crossed the camp (wherein Gladio pitched his soiled shirt which heʼd used to wipe his belly) and darted for the lake. Ignis raced past him with a cry out to their prince. 

He looked pale; even with his normal complexion and usual avoidance of the sun, he looked terribly gaunt and colorless in the dark. His “Ignis!!” was practically the terrified cry of a child pretending to be an adult, and for a second there, Gladio thought he _was_ crying. 

But he was fine—his voice still had power and he could still sit upright. When Ignis slid to the dirt next to him and grasped his shoulders, demanding if he was hurt, he didnʼt falter when he shook his head wildly. 

“Itʼs not me,” Noctis choked, voice and features tight with fear. “Prompto got bitten by a snake.”

“He got what?!” Gladioʼs own shock burst out in a great roar. And just when he was thinking that they were all led to overreact, things got _really_ dangerous again. That was also when he finally got a full scope of the scene: Noctis had been kneeling over his friendʼs curled form on the ground. He and Ignis had barely recognized Prompto in their wild concern about their liege. 

“It just came out of nowhere!” Noctis cried out to his defense. Ignis had gathered him to his arm while Gladio brought out his phone and traced the evidence with the flashlight app. “Iʼd tried to attack it but Prompto jumped in before it bit me.” Prompto looked dazed and practically transparent under the light. He couldnʼt see where heʼd been bitten but managed to locate the suspect soon enough, dead and pinned to the earth with an intricate dagger. 

Gladio grasped it by the head and lit it up closely. Its jaw was still open, fangs protruding. He tilted its nose to gauge its shape, passed his light over to its length to check its stripes and colors. 

“Itʼs venomous,” Gladio snarled, stuffing his phone into his pocket and ambling back to the moaning Prompto. “Ignis, get us some antidote.”

“Right.” Ignis was off to their camp. 

“Noct,” Gladio nudged Prompto to his back now and carefully straightened up his legs. “I need a dagger. And a branch and your belt.” He reached for Promptoʼs belt, too, working it free. 

“Whatʼre you gonna do?” Noctis mumbled, passing him another dagger summoned from the crystals. 

“Gotta make a splint. We gotta keep the leg motionless so that the venom doesnʼt spread.” As soon as heʼd located the snakebite, Gladio slit Promptoʼs pants leg and ripped it all the way to his knee, freeing his swollen calf. “Why the hell would you attack a snake, anyway? You shouldʼve just left it alone.”

“I thought it was a daemon, okay?” Noctis grunted, handing him his belt. 

“A daemon?” Gladio cried, looking incredulously at the stunned prince. “Inside the Wall?!”

“I donʼt wanna have to keep talking to you, so just do your job!” Noctis shouted. His job. 

As if Gladio was just some royal gardener who happened to know how to identify venomous snakes. Never mind that he and Prompto had become close friends thanks to Noctis himself. 

He couldnʼt keep the dark look off his face when he frowned at the prince. The punk knew how to feel ashamed, at least, though he held on to his scowl when he hacked off a low-hanging branch with his sword and handed it to Gladio, avoiding his eyes. 

Gladio had to peel it a little cleaner before he finally secured it to the moaning Prompto with his belt. “Get the car running.”

“Already done.” Ignis was back with two bottles of the antidote. Gladio immediately felt better—here was a man who knew how to handle this better than Noctis, at least. “Iʼve opened up the boot and the doors. Noct, Gladio and I have started packing up a little, you just need to carry them to the car. Leave the tent and the grill, weʼll come back for them another time.”

“I donʼt want to leave Prompto,” Noctis insisted through gritted teeth. Gladio left them both to argue while he cracked the antidote open next to Promptoʼs splinted leg. Their weakened patient received its curative effects with another moan. 

“Noct.” How Ignis manages to remain calm in these situations, Gladio will never grasp. “We need to get Prompto to the hospital quick so itʼs best you get started loading what we can into the car.” This would also be a good way to extract the anxious prince from the emergency. 

There was a second of hesitation from him before Noctis finally gave in and grasped Prompto on his better ankle. “Hey Prompto,” he addressed his best friend, now blinking at the dark skies, “hang in there, okay? Weʼre gonna get you to a hospital.”

Prompto groaned but that he managed to nod at all washed Gladio with relief. “Got it.”

“Good.” Noctis nodded. “Ignis.” He was up on his feet. 

“Understood. Gladio and I will get Prompto ready.”

With a final nod, Noctis sprinted off to their camp. 

“Thanks for getting him off my hair,” Gladio sighed, slashing off the useless part of Promptoʼs pants leg and wrapping it around the exposed wound. He should have cleaned it with some soap beforehand but he didnʼt want to delay the hospital much longer. “Never seen him so frazzled before.”

“Heʼs not very good with snakes,” Ignis explained, handing the last antidote to Prompto who gripped instinctively. “Iʼll tell you why later. Prompto, crack this bottle open any time you start to feel strange.”

“Roger that,” Prompto mumbled. Gladio hoped it wasnʼt just him but he thought when the blonde man focused on them, he looked a little more…human. “Is Noct…okay? Did I save the prince?”

Even without forcing it to make Prompto feel better, Gladio had to grin at his spunk. “Yeah, you did. You a member of the Crownsguard now?”

Prompto tried to match his smile, to little success. “Maybe…one day Iʼll actually try out…” He sounded a little tired. 

“We owe the princeʼs safety to you,” Ignis added. “And now we have to get you to safety, as well. Gladio, apologies but youʼll have to sit at the front for now.”

“Ehh, itʼs a tight squeeze but Iʼll manage,” Gladio said, tossing off the dagger to the crystals so he could slip his arms under Promptoʼs form. “Right, hang on tight!”

“Donʼt drop the antidote, we donʼt have much to spare.” Ignis took off ahead of them, then. 

“What, you tellinʼ that to me or to him?”

—

They met the emergency response team on their way out the lakeside grounds. Ignis lingered long enough only to ask them to look after the stuff theyʼd left and to pass them his number before he turned sharply towards the main road, following his navigation app. In an hourʼs time, they finally managed to pull up to the closest hospital and get Prompto to a gurney. Between Ignis and Gladio, they managed to pull some strings to keep the princeʼs presence a secret and get Prompto a fast room.

After that, it was just a lot of waiting in the visitorʼs area. Noctis now sat alone in one of the seats at the front row after heʼd been evicted from Promptoʼs room when his parents rushed in. He looked miserable even from the back. 

Not a sight Gladio was used to, despite their years of friendship. Heʼd always known the man for his casual arrogance and even that brand of nonchalance that had often frustrated him. But… 

But guilt, he realized, was a foreign suit on him. He and Noctis had always been more used to him playing the hero, the defender. When heʼd covered up for Iris so many years ago, Gladio had been the one who owed him his shame. That was the kind of arrangement that Noctis was used to. 

Not this kind, the kind where a friend had gotten in trouble because of his provocation. He really had a long way to go before he became king. Gladio sighed, rubbing his nape as he got up his feet. 

Noctis didnʼt so much as look when he came to sit next to him, leaning back with crossed arms. “Quite the scare, huh?” Gladio tried as a conversation starter, even glancing at the somber prince. “Lucky for us, Ignis packed an antidote. Heard the doctors talking, saying it saved his leg.” Noctisʼ brows tightened and he turned away. Okay, that was a bad move. 

Gladio cleared his throat and tried again. “Anyway, I heard Prompto wonʼt have to stay for long. Soon as he gets an all-clear from the toxinology division, heʼll be home free. Without the venom and the risk of allergies, after all, a snakebiteʼs just a normal wound.” That, at least, incited a furtive glance from the prince, to which he smiled and nodded upwards. 

“Thatʼs a relief, then,” Noctis muttered. 

Gladio grasped Noctisʼ farthest shoulder and gave him a fond shake. “Heʼs gonna be okay. No need for that long face of yours.” He retrieved his hand, letting them rest on his lap. “And…sorry for shoutinʼ at ya. I shouldnʼt have done that after what happened.”

“Itʼs fine. Youʼre right.” Noctis shook his head. “I shouldnʼt have attacked the snake. It was just a stupid snake, anyway.” Not exactly the kind of resolution Gladio was looking for, although he couldnʼt say he wasnʼt happy to hear the words. Still, after that, he didnʼt know what else to say… 

His phone beeped. Gladio navigated past his screen to read the message from Ignis. 

_Meet me here by the vending machine. Tell him Iris is asking you to call._

“Itʼs Iris,” Gladio said obediently, getting up from his seat. “Iʼll just give her a call.” This one, at least, he knew how to handle. 

Noctis only nodded to him. 

Ignis hung back by the vending machine, just as he promised, one cup of dark coffee in each hand. He raised one slightly to wave at Gladio and handed it to him. 

“Canʼt believe you made me lie to my prince,” Gladio mumbled, looking back to Noctis by the waiting room as he sipped his coffee. They hid in the hallway just left of him, but he was in no mood to notice. 

“If heʼd learned it was me, heʼd suspect,” Ignis explained, keeping an eye on their charge, as well. “How is he?”

“Well, what do you expect?” Gladio shrugged as he faced his boyfriend again. “He feels really guilty and thinks itʼs his fault this happened to Prompto.” Ignis sighed, shaking his head. “I couldnʼt get through him. Does this have something to do about his fear of snakes?”

“Itʼs not a fear of snakes per se,” Ignis answered, nudging his glasses. “Remember when he was a child, there was a daemon that almost took his life?”

“Yeah, and no one from his escort survived.” Gladio could never forget it. That was the time King Regis had rushed to his sonʼs side without waiting for his Shield. The next morning, Clarus took him aside in his study and began to talk to him about his future as the Shield of the King. That pretty much set Gladio on the path he was now on. 

“That daemon was a Marilith.” Ignis left the rest for Gladio to put two and two together. A Marilith… 

That was the giantess with the body of a snake. Gladio stared at Ignis when it clicked. He didnʼt know…and to think heʼd raised his voice over it… 

“He told me he thought it was a daemon.”

Ignis nodded. “I see.” That was enough to explain everything to Noctisʼ advisor. 

Gladio whistled, raking up his hair with his free hand. He turned back to Noctis, still alone and distracted. “That was a close shave.” He couldnʼt… _didnʼt_ want to imagine what could have turned out if that _had_ been a daemon. Or if Prompto hadnʼt jumped in…

“Indeed, it was,” Ignis sighed heavily. “We should have been more cautious, Gladio. We shouldnʼt have been having sex when weʼre with Noct.” Not what Gladio was thinking but he could concede to the point. If that had been a real daemon attack or a real attack on Noctis, anyway, and they were busy making love… 

“We ought to stop this now. Thatʼs it—no more sex during active duty.”

“Well, I mean,” Gladio shrugged, “not like itʼs been a habit.”

Ignis spared him a little smile. “Better that it isnʼt.”

Gladio offered a little corner grin just because. Speaking of active duty… 

He glanced back to Noctis, who was still the same. “You better try and talk to him,” he told him. 

Ignis nodded. For that, he popped another coin in the vending machine and picked up a fresh cup of coffee. 

“Iʼll pretend Iʼm not here,” Gladio offered as Ignis passed him, not that he needed to say anything. Just thought he had to. He finished his little cup and crushed the paper in his fist before he binned it. 

Ignis took his place next to Noctis and offered him the fresh coffee. The prince nodded his thanks and took a perfunctory sip from the cup. They sat without talking… 

Gladio crossed his arms over his shirt and leaned by the wall, watching. 

“Gladio said heʼll be okay.” Noctis spoke up after what felt like five minutes of silence. “Weʼre just waiting for the toxinology guys to tell us when heʼs ready to come home.”

Ignis nodded. “Iʼm relieved to hear that.”

“Yeah,” Noctis echoed. “Me, too.”

“Heʼll be the tougher for this,” Ignis went on. “And youʼll be the wiser.”

“‘sit worth it, though?” Noctis asked, tossing a lazy hand up. “I got Prompto involved just because of some stupid trauma and it wasnʼt even a smart move. Not only that, heʼs a civilian.”

“We canʼt all choose the lessons we learn from, Noct,” Ignis replied easily. “What happened was…a close shave in many ways. And I think we can only be thankful that that was all it was…and that what we must do now is to make sure it doesnʼt happen again.” He offered him a smile. “And thatʼs when you come in.”

“Sounds like a tall order.”

“Sounds like itʼs right up your alley,” Ignis reassured him. “It will be fine, Noct. You and Prompto will be fine.”

“Hearing you say it makes me believe it will be,” Noctis said, finally agreeing. “Thanks for the kind words, Ignis,” he added after a long pause. 

Ignis nodded in acceptance. 

Well, that worked. Gladio had to smirk at the happy ending. Allʼs well that ends well, so they say. Count on Ignis to know exactly what words to use. Though it probably helped that he knew about the daemon of Noctisʼ past. That was probably why Noctis felt…

More comfortable with Ignis, didnʼt he? Probably trusted him more with his weaknesses. Maybe because Ignis had always been gentle to him but… 

But that didnʼt mean he couldnʼt trust Gladio the same way, right? Ignis was his childhood big brother-figure but between the two of them, Gladio was his Shield. And he was going to be the one who would lay his life on the line for him one day. Would it hurt Noctis to trust him a little more? Gladio couldnʼt believe it but… 

He might actually be jealous of Ignis right now.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY just a quick heads up but there's going to be a number of gladio-centric chapters in this fic since the whole thing WAS written from his perspective. this one's one of them ❤️

“Omigods, Gladio, itʼs been so long!!”

When engaging with his list of exes, Gladio followed several personally set rules: the first and most important of all being that he simply didnʼt engage with them. At all. Unless, of course, it was absolutely unavoidable such as returning certain items borrowed, fulfilling final obligations or matters of the Crown. Second was that he _could_ engage with them outside the above conditionsʼ scope provided that they parted as friends or a certain amount of time had passed between the two of them to heal all wounds and awkwardness. The third and last was that there was no longer any chance for them to be together again. 

This was one such occasion. Orchis was the lead curator of the Royal Museum of Natural History and the last girlfriend Gladio had. They met in a convention of outdoor enthusiasts, hit it off nicely, dated for a few months but then called it off on mutual grounds. 

Now they were both friends of a somewhat professional nature. For instance, Gladio actually wore a shirt with sleeves for her but them were the house rules. 

They met in the middle of the museumʼs empty lobby in a fond hug. Orchis led him then to one of their receiving rooms while they caught up with each other. 

“Howʼve you been? You donʼt post much online these days! I only know you and your boyfriend have been together for what, 2 years now?”

“Yeah, but officially itʼs just been about a year and a half,” Gladio chuckled, scratching at his face. “You? Howʼs the wife?”

“Good, weʼre both good. Weʼre finally talking about adopting a kid.”

“Hey, thatʼs good news,” was his cheerful applause, clasping her fondly by the sleeve of her dress. “Congratulations! Itʼs finally coming true.” That was one part of why they broke up: Orchis wanted to get pregnant soon but Gladio, with his duties to the Crown, could not yet commit to such a responsibility. 

“Thanks,” she said, beaming happily. She gestured to one of the plush seats facing a low vintage round table in the middle. The room itself looked like it came off the pages of a historical book, with patterned wallpapers, warm hues and high-backed cushioned seats and all. “Have a seat. Can I get you anything?”

“Just waterʼs fine,” Gladio insisted with a small wave. Orchis left the instructions with someone whoʼd passed the room. 

Then she sealed the door and made her way to the reclining couch just across Gladio. She crossed her knees while Gladio leaned forward, popping the knuckle of his middle finger carefully. “So how can I help?”

“Well, Iʼve taken up an interest on snakes lately,” Gladio explained, tossing his hands a little as he spoke. “Classifications, identification, danger response.”

“Ooh, what for?” Orchis perched her elbow on her knee and her chin on her fist. “Thinking of getting a pet?”

Gladio smiled. “Need it for work,” was all he said.

—

After speaking with the Argentums briefly about Promptoʼs care, they finally called it a day and said goodbye to their friend who was finally lucid enough to wave. Ignis took care of driving them home to their respective residences.

Jared Hester, the head chamberlain of House Amicitia, was there to meet him when Gladio passed through the main door, bearing two of his bags. He could understand his shock and panic when he saw him in the flesh. “Master Gladiolus! I wasnʼt aware you would be home tonight.”

“Had to cut the trip short,” he explained vaguely. “Itʼs fine, you donʼt have to bother with me.” He stopped him with a wave of his hand. “Thereʼs just some stuff I left by the gate. Could you get someone to bring them in the garage?”

“Iʼll see to them, Sir.” Jared bowed. 

“Iris still awake?”

Jared took a second before he nodded. “Itʼs quite possible. Sheʼs preparing for an exam.”

“Iʼll just give her a peek.” Gladio left, waving goodbye. 

He took a shower first, taking care to clean up after his and Ignisʼ interrupted lovemaking, then sorted through his dirty laundry, giving his stained clothes a little wash just to remove the dried spend on them. 

Iris had fallen asleep on her books and was drooling on her hand by the time heʼd looked in on her. It wasnʼt until Gladio had carried her to her bed that she woke up with quite a start. Bad move on his part but he knew she would be sorely cross if he waited the next morning to drop by. 

“Is Noct okay?”

“Yeah, heʼs fine,” Gladio assured her, taking off her hair clip and leaving it on her bedside table. He made some space for himself by her feet while she sat up on her bed, legs tucked in. “Itʼs Prompto, he met an accident so we had to rush him to the hospital.”

“Oh no…”

“Heʼll be fine. The doctors said thereʼs nothing to worry about.”

“Okay.” Iris nodded. She really _was_ sleepy. Otherwise, she would still be chatting him up a storm. 

“Get some sleep.” Gladio nudged her down to her pillow. “Whereʼs your moogle?” He turned around, scanning her bed for it. 

“Oh, I asked Jared to give her a little wash…ah, Gladdy, whatʼs that!”

“Hm?” Gladio turned back to see her pointing over his shoulder, then looked around again to inspect her wall and shelves and door. “Whatʼs what? Is it a spider?” Not that the Amicitia siblings were ever known to be scared of insects. Gladio made sure of that for the both of them. 

“No, this!” Iris was up and out of her blanket for it so she could crawl to Gladioʼs back and point to a tender spot over his wing…oh. “It looks bad.” Well, hickeys were only supposed to be hot for those who knew its secret. This was what he got for not making it a habit to wear shirts during bedtime. 

“Itʼs fine,” he assured her, giving her a beam. “We picked some fruits in the camp and one of them dropped on me.”

“What sort of fruits?” Yes, who cares about her big brotherʼs injury? 

Gladio snickered at her priorities. “Tell you all about it tomorrow,” he promised her, patting that tiny hand on his shoulder. “Now get some sleep. You worked hard today.”

“Like Gladdy,” Iris giggled, allowing herself to be tucked in, pulling up her plush blanket to her neck. “You worked hard today protecting the prince, right?” Well, she didnʼt have to know the whole story. 

Gladio smiled and nodded to his sister. “Yeah,” he said. Well, he did, kind of. After a fashion. Maybe? 

He kissed her goodnight and left the room. 

With nothing else to do, then, everything else to think of and the entire night to burn until morning, he finally found himself in the mini bar at the corner of their dining room, perusing the family collection of bottles. Normally, if it was only to quench a little thirst before sleep, he would have been fine with a cold bottle of beer. 

This occasion called for some aged brandy, though, a chilled stout glass and some whiskey stone. His father would have turned his nose up on Gladioʼs methods but whatever. If it worked, it worked. 

He moved them all to the dining table with him, poured his first glass and drank it all in one go. Damn. Better try that again. 

“If thatʼs the Caem brandy I see in your hands, then youʼd better treat it with more respect than a cheap bottle of beer.”

Heʼd almost dropped that really special bottle of brandy from his hand in surprise. Fortunately for both Gladio and his father, he had the reflexes and the grip that would have made any Amicitia proud. 

“Dad,” Gladio greeted as soon as Clarus had made his way to the seat facing him, dressed in his expensive night robe, a plain bowl in hand heaping with… “I…is that…”

“Iris wonʼt know who the cereal thief is if you keep this between us,” Clarus told him, mixing up the colorful loops in the milk with a polished spoon. He raised his eyes to his son, expecting his compliance. 

“Uh…” Not that Gladio had any different plans but… “Sure…” It was just…weird to be drinking a refined drink in front of his father, the Shield of the King and an esteemed member of King Regisʼ council, who was eating cereals at midnight… “Do…you want anything to drink with that?”

Clarus raised his hand, chewing. 

“Okay,” Gladio said. Having finished that part of their conversation, he went back to his glass, then, and poured in the brandy. 

“Jared told me of your arrival,” Clarus spoke anew, weaving his fingers over his midnight snack. “He said you had to cut your trip short.”

“Prompto got bitten by a snake,” Gladio answered truthfully. His fatherʼs, “Oh.” came through with a little disappointment and a sharp curl of his brows. “Heʼs in the hospital with his parents now. Noctʼs fine.”

Clarus nodded. “As cruel as it sounds, Iʼm glad it isnʼt him.”

“Yeah, tell me about it,” Gladio replied, raising his glass. Clarus went back to his cereals. “He…he felt guilty, though.”

“Guilty?” The spoon went back to the bowl. Clarus was interested again. “Did he have something to do with the accident?”

“He was the one who provoked the snake. I think he got triggered with what happened to him in the past.”

“Ah yes,” Clarus sighed, looking off with a frown. “The daemon attack. No one among us will ever forget that.”

“I never knew it was a Marilith until Ignis told me in the hospital,” Gladio shared. “What happened when you got there?”

Clarus turned to face him. “By the time I had caught up with His Majesty, it was already done. He had rescued His Highness and beaten back the daemon. I rode with him to the Citadel. And when he could leave the princeʼs side, I quarreled with him.” A memory that brought out a little smile to his face. “Of course His Majesty never perceived the potential danger he could have brought upon himself and the kingdom, then. Until I shouted some sense into him.”

“You, too, huh?” Gladio chuckled, scratching between his brows. 

“If His Majesty had been killed by the daemon, the kingdom would have collapsed on that very same night,” Clarus went on, enjoying a few more scoops of his cereal. “His Highness was injured, and still too young to sit the throne. You yourself had barely even begun your training as his Shield.”

“What happened after?”

“Well, His Highness recovered.”

“I mean after you and the king fought,” Gladio went on, hands wrapped around the glass. “Did you…I dunno,” he shrugged, “did the two of you talk?”

Clarus eyed him suspiciously. 

“Yes, we did,” he answered, bringing his fingers together again. “His Majesty has always been remarkably down-to-earth. Though my arguments had displeased him, he soon saw truth in them. However, I suspect that this is not quite the same with you and the prince…”

Gladio sighed, dropping his eyes to his full brandy. He picked up his glass for a quick sip. “I made a mistake of shouting at him ‘cause I didnʼt know about the Marilith. Then he shouted back and it made me feel like he just saw me as some guy whoʼs being paid to chaperone him. I tried to cheer him up in the hospital but,” he shrugged, “I dunno, it didnʼt work. When Ignis tried, though…”

“Ah,” Clarus said. 

“Well,” Gladio shrugged again. “Heʼs always been the talker between us. He got through Noct.”

“And this bothers you?”

“Kinda,” Gladio confessed, though he felt a little shy about it, the boyish shame twisting his face a little. “I know Iʼm not the guy His Majesty entrusted his son to but Iʼm the guy whoʼs gonna be risking his life for him for as long as I live.” He rubbed the back of his neck with his right. 

“I guess…” he went on after some time. “I just wish he could trust me like he trusted Ignis.”

Clarus nodded in sympathy. “Gladiolus,” he began, “when His Majesty chose Ignis to stand by His Highnessʼ side, you can be sure that that is because he saw the qualities in him that would make him a good brother. He is patient, he is dutiful, he is industrious and he is wise beyond his years.”

“Is this you telling me that I better be all that?” Which would be difficult, how do you beat an Ignis Scientia in his own turf? 

Clarus laughed briefly, smiling at Gladioʼs wariness. “No. You have your ways inasmuch as he has his. For reasons that should already be obvious to the both of us, youʼll never be an Ignis Scientia, in the same way that he will never be a Gladiolus Amicitia. So what is it that Gladiolus has that Ignis doesnʼt?”

Gladio shrugged. “Bigger muscles?” he answered stupidly. Well, he didnʼt know what sort of answer his father wanted, and at this hour at that. Was he asking about qualities? Physical attributes? Possessions? 

Clarus chuckled at his response and rose, picking up his finished bowl of cereals. “I think youʼd better think this through,” he said. “And I pray you donʼt finish the bottle while youʼre at it.”

“Yes, Dad.” Well, Gladio had been thinking about it but now he wasnʼt. 

After Clarus left him, he started listing down all sorts of differences he and Ignis had between the two of them. Sleep came soon enough but not quite his eureka moment.

—

One week later, he was walking out the museum doors, arm loaded with three books, its pages marked by colorful post-its where he would begin his study.

“One last!” Orchis called to him, hurrying with another book raised high. “I thought Iʼd lost this but here it is: Yeagreʼs book about Lucian wildlife. Iʼve marked the pages that might interest you.”

“You sure you gonna lend me this?” Gladio asked, turning the book to face its spine. “It looks important. I got things to get from the library, anyway.”

“Youʼll end up waiting for months to get your turn on that book. Just donʼt spill anything on it and youʼre golden.” Orchis patted him on his sleeve. “Iʼll see you around, Gladio!”

Gladio waved the last book at her, descending the wide stairwell to the main gate. 

He spent the next few nights poring over them, even bringing them along wherever he and his friends were hanging out, and to date nights with Ignis to read in the car. 

“Is that book more interesting than me?”

Gladio had been reading Yeagreʼs book by the dinghy night lamp when Ignis spoke up. Until then, the man had been sleeping on his tummy, curled up like a cat. Ignisʼ bed, after all, fit only one tall man but for the sake of coital bliss, they made do with it. 

He lowered his book, then, to meet the manʼs sleep-addled eyes. Gladio smiled then reached back to Ignisʼ writing table to hand him his pair of glasses. “See for yourself.”

Ignis slipped them on and tilted the spine for his reading. 

“Yeagre?” In a single motion, Ignis had taken the book from Gladioʼs grasp and pinned the page with his thumb while he flipped to the preface. 

“Hey, are your hands clean?” Despite that, Gladio welcomed Ignis to his arms while the man sat back against his chest. He looped them casually around his waist, left hand falling naturally to his boyfriendʼs languid cock to play with it. 

Ignis turned to raise a brow at him. “Iʼm not the one who put his fingers inside me. And Iʼm not the one whoʼs touching me now.”

Gladio grinned. “But you like it,” he muttered to Ignisʼ ear. Ignis smiled back before he acquiesced to a kiss. 

And then he was back to the book, and Gladio occupied himself with peppering Ignisʼ hair, neck and shoulder with smaller kisses while he fondled him. “Youʼve scored quite the gold mine here,” Ignis said of the text, flipping back to the page Gladio stopped in now. “If Iʼm not mistaken, most of Yeagreʼs books have stopped publication after a row with the printers. From where did you pick this up?”

“Got it on loan from a friend. Just doing what I can for Noct,” Gladio replied, perching his chin over Ignisʼ shoulder. “Which reminds me, Iʼm canceling training next week. Think itʼs time I get Noct involved with what Iʼm doing. Just bring ‘im over as usual, Iʼll take care of him from there.”

“What will you do?”

“Iʼm thinking the museum,” Gladio shared, shrugging a little. Ignis located his bookmark at the last page of the book and flipped it shut. “Get him started with some fake things before we move up to the real things.” He opened his arms when Ignis tapped his wrist and got up. “You wanna come?” He followed him with his eyes. Gods, he could never get enough of those hips. 

“Iʼd be delighted,” Ignis told him, placing the book on his work desk and his glasses atop it. Then he slipped something from under something before he reclaimed his rightful place in front of Gladio, showing him the thing. “But Iʼve got other more pressing matters to attend to.” 

Gladio welcomed himself to it, then; it was a pamphlet with a building, backed by clear blue skies, between two swooshing ribbons. 

He swooned, sitting up quickly in interest. Ignis snuggled up closer, popping a light kiss on Gladioʼs arm muscle. “This is new. Howʼd you come by this?” He pulled the advertisement open, scanning the three panels. 

“From one of my subscriptions. A lucky hit,” Ignis chuckled. “I have a schedule with the agent next week to view the actual unit.” He tapped a photo at the bottom of the middle fold—a clean kitchen model with modern silver appliances and a polished table in the middle. “It is imperative that I ascertain this.”

“Looks like a kitchen fit for the royal chef, all right,” Gladio laughed softly. He pressed a kiss to his ear. “So, whatʼs the first thing youʼre gonna bake in that fancy new oven of yours?”

Ignis turned to cast him a coy smile. “Something to eat you with in my new bedroom.”

—

Come the next week, Gladio was back in the Royal Museum of Natural History, the books packed in a shopping bag, topped by a box of pastries handmade by no other than Ignis Scientia himself. It was those little pie things heʼd been making Noctis since time immemorial which didnʼt really fly with the crown prince again. Instead of worrying how to finish it all, Gladio decided they could give some to his friend as a gesture of gratitude.

“You know, if I didnʼt know about you and Ignis, I would have thought youʼd only asked me to come to be your wingman,” Noctis yawned as they climbed up the steps. 

“Thatʼs thoughtful of you, Prince, but I didnʼt need a wingman to win her over before,” Gladio chuckled. 

“Hey,” Noctis almost choked in his own spit when he whipped at Gladio, “sheʼs your ex? Does Ignis know about this?”

“Uh, maybe?” Well, Gladio never really thought about it before but now he wondered if this inexperienced younger man knew something more than him. “Weʼve got photos together…but I didnʼt really tell him I was meeting her, you just donʼt go around talking about your ex to your current partner, yʼknow?” Why did he feel guilty? “Also, sheʼs already married. She and her wife are talking about adopting a kid.”

“Oh cʼmon, you really think that?” Noctis clicked his tongue, shaking his head. “I know heʼs Ignis and heʼs always logical and heʼs smarter than the two of us combined but the guyʼs got feelings, too, yʼknow?”

“Yeah, which is exactly why I didnʼt brag about meeting my ex, I didnʼt want to hurt him,” Gladio whispered, speaking more quietly as soon as they stepped through the door. 

“Isnʼt it weird that youʼre keeping it a secret from your boyfriend that youʼre meeting with your ex?” Noctis hissed. 

“No, itʼs not, I donʼt love her anymore, I only love him!” Gladio snapped behind his teeth. “Now shut up, here she comes.”

Orchis was as lively as ever, meeting Gladio in a hug and then bowing formally to Noctis when he was introduced. “Please forgive us for making no preparations for your visit,” she added for the princeʼs sake after. “Gladiolus messaged me beforehand that you werenʼt interested in ceremonies.”

“Uh…yeah, thatʼs fine,” Noctis mumbled, scratching his head. He only straightened up when Gladio glared at him to keep an eye on his manners. “Donʼt mind me, Iʼm just keeping Gladio company.” 

Orchis bowed again in understanding. 

Gladio took this as his chance to hand her the shopping bag of books and pastries. “Thanks for letting me borrow them. Kept ‘em clean just as you asked. Thereʼs a little gift there for you and the wife to enjoy later. A token of my and Ignisʼ appreciation.” He eyed Noctis briefly. See, he was making sure she knew about his boyfriend! And that she was married. Which was stupid _but._

“Aww, Gladio, you shouldnʼt have!” Orchis didnʼt hide her beam, though. “We should totally go on a double date, you and Ignis and Lilia and I.”

“Sounds great.” He grinned. 

“Oh and before I forget,” from her back pocket, she produced two paper bookmarks, branded by the museumʼs logo with a background of one of their more popular exhibits, “your tickets. Should get you anywhere you wanna go.”

Gladio took them from her, waving them with his thanks. 

“If you need anything else, the museum staff should be happy to provide assistance,” Orchis spieled as a goodbye. “I gotta head back in the meeting, I only came out to welcome you both. Your Highness,” she bowed again to the prince, “I hope you enjoy our humble tribute to your kingdom.”

“Uh…yeah.” Noctis nodded. “Thanks…for your contributions.”

She waved to Gladio, then, and hurried back where she came from. 

Gladio waved back with a wink, waiting until she was gone before he made for the reception counter to get the second part of his business started. “Cʼmon, Noct. You know, you could really work on speaking like a royal prince.”

“You winked at her!” Noctis muttered hotly as he followed after Gladio. “What kind of ex winks at his ex?”

“The kind of ex whoʼs friends with his ex and loves his boyfriend! Now shut up and take your damn ticket.”

“ _My_ ticket? I thought weʼre only here to drop things off?”

They left that conversation by the gate, at least, and were mostly blessedly quiet as they toured towering skeletal formations, statues that spanned across the entire hall, life-sized dioramas and stuffed creatures sealed in glass shelves in suspended animation. 

“Whoah, look at the size of that thing!” They were in one of the second floor hallways at the other wing from the entrance when Noctis came to spot the hanging replica of a massive sea mammal below them. Before that, he and Gladio had mostly been gaping at gigantic images, sharing their surprise that a certain creature looked bigger than what the movies said. “Thatʼs a real beast down there!” But if there was anything that would catch his eye, of course, it was his love and joy for fishing. 

“Think youʼll be good enough to catch that thing?” Gladio crossed his arms, smirking by the corner of his lips. 

Noctis matched his look and nodded with a haughty toss of his head. “Sure can! Bet that thing still lives somewhere down there.”

Gladio cackled, grinning widely. Turns out he and the prince were of like minds. “Yeah, a monster like that canʼt die easily.”

“Weʼre going down there, right?” Noctis asked, just as Gladio waved him to one of the rooms next to them. He followed. 

“Weʼll leave time for that. Thereʼs just something I wanna show you first.”

They entered a dim room of glass cases again, joining three other individuals who lingered more studiously in front of frozen reptiles and their plaques. Both Noctis and Gladio visited them with passing interest, stopping only for the most superficial things like the color of their scales, how cute they looked, the size of their jaws. 

“If I met a real seadevil one day, I think I might just laugh,” Noctis shared, already laughing as they moved on to the next display. “Itʼs like fifty-percent head, fifty-percent everything else…”

That good mood he had faded quietly as they finally came upon one of the centerpieces of the exhibit—a singular glass case as big as a shelf, dominated by a serpent called the _Midgardsormr_ , flashing its fangs in full possessiveness of its handmade sandy kingdom. The information standing on its side called it a youngling, and yet it was already taller than Gladio. 

He turned to the prince who gazed at the threatening face with mixed emotions. Gladio stepped in, then, putting himself between statue and prince with arms crossed. A message to remind him that he would always be there for him. 

Noctis braced a hand on one side, tossed the other to Gladio. “Is this what you wanted to show me?” he asked, assuming disaffection. 

“Ignis told me what it was that attacked you when you were a kid,” Gladio began. “Something like that…itʼs bound to leave a mark on you.” He gestured to his prince. “And I saw it with my own eyes. Though at that time…I didnʼt know what would cause you to provoke a snake.”

Noctis shrugged, looked off to an empty space in the wall. Still not one of his proudest moments. 

“Still,” Gladio went on, “it feels like Iʼve already lost a battle I hadnʼt fought yet. And that doesnʼt sit right with me.”

“Huh?” Noctis folded his own arms, raising a brow in judgment. “You’re making this about you now?”

“Damn right I am!” Gladio nodded, standing tall. “If itʼs about you then it damn well better be about me, too. Iʼm your Shield, Noct. And if I couldnʼt protect you then, Iʼd be damned if I still couldnʼt protect you now.”

“Hey…” Noctis shifted. He looked a little embarrassed, running his hand over the back of his head again. “You saying that makes it sound like you wanna have a go at that daemon. Itʼs done, though. Itʼs gone.”

“Sure is,” Gladio agreed. He jabbed a finger at Noctisʼ direction. “But itʼs still there inside you, somehow.” Noctis looked at his accusing hand and frowned at it. “And thatʼs what I wanna fight. I wanna help you fight it.” In the end, he didnʼt know what he had that Ignis didnʼt. They both knew their duties well, they both had the Crownʼs faith in their skills, they both knew how to fight…but where Ignis only fought for self-defense, Gladio had been raised to the art of it. It was, so to speak, one of his reasons for living. So there was that. That was something he could start with. 

“Thing is,” Gladio turned to the Midgardsormr with a little toss of his hand. “I donʼt know much about snakes. Iʼve started reading about them but we both know thatʼs not enough.”

“You serious?” Noctisʼ brows curled at those words. “When you fixed Prompto, I thought you knew what you were doing.”

“I take several first aid classes as part of my training to be your Shield,” Gladio explained. “If your life was ever in danger and youʼre stuck with me, I better know how to save you. Thatʼs how I learned what to do. But this?” He pointed at the Midgardsormr with his thumb. “I donʼt even know the half of it. So, what do you say?” He nodded to the rest of the displays that the centerpiece faced. “You and me conquering that thing thatʼs holding you back.” A fear of snakes, a trauma…Gladio didnʼt want to use any of those words around the prince. He didnʼt want Noctis to feel weak. “Iʼm your Shield, Noct. Iʼll always protect you.” He realized then that Ignis didnʼt have that, either—the pride, the glory, the honor of being their friendʼs sworn protector. 

Noctis considered the proposition with a serious look at the Midgardsormr. “Well?” he asked, nodding at the display with a smirk. “What do you wanna tell me about this thing?”

—

Working without a lesson plan was a lot more difficult than Gladio had counted on. It wasnʼt like teaching martial arts where he basically just passed on whatever he learned from his instructor, plus his own personal experiences. When he made his commitment to help Noctis with his childhood nightmare, he thought he might just wing it—start somewhere, see where it went. It was turning out to be an impossible plan, though; for Noctis, winging it just wasnʼt enough. Gladio had to make sure the prince had full faith in what he was doing for him.

But somehow they managed—on top of the theoretical work he shared with Noctis, Gladio added more focus on dodging, parrying and phasing in their lessons. Later on, he made use of another thing from the princeʼs past as an additional teaching aid: arcades. If snakes moved swiftly, after all, it stood to reason, he thought, that snake daemons moved in the same way, and quite possibly worse. If that was the case, then Noctis had better improve his reflexes, and one way to do it was to score the highest points in one of those zombie shooting games. 

“Look, you know what?” Having dispensed of all forms of vegetables from his fried noodles, Noctis could finally fork his first scoop. “If I were a teacher-type and I wanted to encourage my student to get a perfect score for the next exam, I would totally offer a bribe.”

“Ha!” Gladio snorted, stirring the egg in his noodle soup. “Even though youʼve got the balls to be honest with me about what youʼre saying now still doesnʼt impress me.” He spread his hands out to shrug. “Whatʼs wrong with the simple glory of perfecting the game? Knowing that your initials will never be removed from the top 1 position until someone resets the game?”

“Thatʼs exactly it, thereʼs nothing to show for it!” Noctis returned. “The other players arenʼt even going to care about my initials but if I had something real for it—”

Gladio made an ugly noise, batting Noctisʼ rationale off the air with two hands. 

“—then even when theyʼve decommissioned the machine, I could always just go hey, this is the limited edition comic book Gladio got me when I beat the game.” Even if there had been other people in the restaurant with them, there was no way Gladio could have silenced his burst of laughter. “Right?”

“Hey, Prince, you trying to swindle your servant?!” Gladio cackled wildly. “Itʼs just a comic book, limited edition or not. You can afford that with your face value!”

“Hey, Iʼm not the one who gets a steady income here!”

“Because you donʼt need one! You get allowances and you donʼt even pay your own taxes!!”

“I _do_ pay my taxes, I pay inheritance, too!”

“You mean the Ministry of Finance does it on your behalf,” Gladio spat back, snickering behind a glass of cola. “You donʼt even know where they get the money from.”

“From my properties!”

“Yeah, you know the computation?”

Noctis glared at him. “As if you know yours!”

“Oh, you wanna bet?” Gladio put down his glass with an empty thunk, meeting the princeʼs challenge with his corner smile, both of them pressing closer to the table between them. “You wanna see your Shieldʼs payslip? Iʼll bring it next time!” He warned him with a finger. “But you better be ready with your tax form, too. And I better see your handwriting on it!”

“Fine!” Noctis swung back to shrug haughtily at his terms. “Want me to show you how itʼs done? Show me the comic book and weʼll talk!” Gladio guffawed again. Of course everything had to be about his damn comics. 

“You really are a single-track mind kinda guy, huh?” He was grinning widely. In the end, after all, it wasnʼt the value of the prize that was worth it, but the size of the competition. “Get me that high score and that computation and Iʼll throw in another comic book of your choice.”

Noctis sat straighter suddenly, holding up his forearm. “You’re on.” 

Sign and sealed by a fist bump. 

Gladio pointed to his fried noodles. “Now get eating. Ignisʼll be here to pick us up in 15 minutes.”

“And itʼs back to sync-ups and tutorials for me,” Noctis sighed, poking at his late dinner. 

“Perks of being a royal prince, huh?” Gladio smirked. 

“Yeah, well,” Noctis shrugged, returning the smile, “trainingʼs more fun.” Training with an arcade, that is. His meaning was quite clear. 

Even then, this was the first time Gladio had ever heard those words straight from his mouth, and he wasnʼt going to lie but that went right straight to his heart. So maybe Noctis trusted him better now, after all this time they spent together. 

Maybe he was actually doing something right with this. 

He winked at his prince. “‘course it is,” he echoed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "royal family taxes" and "imperial family japan taxes" are literally a part of my google search history now (they do pay voluntary taxes) 
> 
> thanks for sticking around! ❤️


	7. Chapter 7

“Hey, you okay?”

Gladio had to step out of the snake exhibit to take a call and left Noctis on his own, surrounded only by enclosures and their silent residents. He stood near one of them, observing the bright-colored reptile which had finally dozed off in its handmade den. Earlier, the prince had met its acquaintance personally, under the supervision of its caretaker. 

That late afternoon, following their training, Gladio had brought them to the city zoo just as the ticketing counter had pulled down its shutters. It was the perfect time for a royal visit that wasnʼt meant to attract any fanfare, something the princeʼs Shield had arranged for. Only a team of three people had welcomed them with a deep bow, then led them over to the snake exhibit where one of its personnel introduced him to the bright-colored snake. They were right on time, she said, as Noctis raised a tentative hand over the animalʼs hide. The snake had just started to fall asleep, making it much more docile for first timers. 

“Yeah,” Noctis answered, looking at Gladio only briefly before he put his face as close as he dared to the reptileʼs sleeping one. “Just…Iʼve never touched a snake before. This one was my first.”

“Feeling close to it now?” Gladio went back to his side just in case his prince needed his presence. 

But it had been weeks since theyʼd embarked on this little project of theirs, and by now, the prince was no longer haunted by the accident heʼd caused Prompto. “Dunno,” he said, shrugging. “Feels weird.” He rubbed the pads of his touching fingers together, as if to remember how the scales felt like on them. “Definitely not a fan.”

“Still more than what you can say from the last time, right?” Gladio chuckled quietly, observing the snake himself. “That was my first time, too. Canʼt say I didnʼt _not_ like it.”

“You and I really are worlds apart, Gladio.” 

“Mm, I wouldnʼt say weʼre _too_ far apart, Noct.” Gladio smirked. Noctis didnʼt turn to face him but he wore the same expression. “I just got off the phone with Jules, by the way. You remember Jules?”

“Jules…” Noctis looked at him now. “The hunter?”

Gladio nodded. Some two weeks ago, he got the idea to seek out the hunters from Meldacioʼs organization who may have already come into contact with snake-like daemons. Cor had agreed to help him, and a week ago, they met Jules over lunch, where he shared about the hunt heʼd been involved in for a Naga. Gladio ended up paying for a 6-course meal which mostly Jules enjoyed but he couldnʼt deny that his experience was invaluable. That was the closest he and Noctis could get to his daemon from the past. 

Until now, maybe. “He called to say thereʼs a bounty out for a wild creature about half-a-dayʼs drive from here. A Midgardsormr.” He saw the recognition flash on Noctisʼ eyes, his features tensing up a little. “Heʼs extending the invitation to us.”

“Us?” Noctis shook his head. “But…weʼre not hunters.”

“Not to hunt, Noct.” Gladio turned himself to face him, arms over his chest. “Just to watch. Weʼll observe from afar, with a full retinue of veteran hunters to look after us. Itʼs no daemon but,” he shrugged, “still fierce.” It was the closest thing they could get to one. 

Noctisʼ brows pulled deeper. He frowned at the bright-colored snake, sleeping unawares of their conversation. “Can Ignis and Prompto come?”

“Iʼll be the one to tell you that Prompto canʼt come,” Gladio answered, shaking his head. “Heʼs a civilian. Even with the training heʼs getting from us, itʼs still too dangerous for him and itʼll be a huge scandal for the Crown and the Crownsguard if he ever comes to harm. Ignis, though, I can talk to him.”

—

“No!” Ignis barked, sparing Gladio a glare before he redirected it quickly back to the road. “Absolutely not!”

“We wonʼt be the only ones out there, Ignis,” Gladio explained calmly, watching his boyfriend beside him. “Weʼll have the hunters to protect us. The Marshal knows these guys.”

“And does the Marshal know what you are proposing?” Ignis glanced at him briefly again. “That you intend to bring the prince out of the protection of the Wall just to witness a hunt?”

“A hunt that could help him with his trauma!” Gladio rebutted, staring wildly at his frowning boyfriend. “Ignis, you know I wouldnʼt think this was a good idea if it wasnʼt important to Noct!”

“Gladio,” Ignis sighed heavily, fingers flexing over his steering wheel, “forgive me but I cannot see the sense of bringing back whatʼs already passed.”

“Ignis, come on,” Gladio groaned, slumping back to the car seat as he ran his hand over his hair in frustration. 

“Can we not leave this daemon where it is?” Ignis turned to him quickly. “You know I have always encouraged you to help Noct come to terms with his past but this is taking it…simply too far!”

“Itʼs _not_ a daemon,” Gladio huffed, turning to his boyfriend. “Itʼs a wild creature called the Midgardsormr.”

“I know what a Midgardsormr is!” Ignis hissed. 

The traffic light flashed red, a single angry dot floating in the late night. 

Ignis slowed down to a stop. He leaned back to his seat, then, exhaling carefully. Gladio shook his head, turning his attention instead to the city lights beyond his window. 

“That night,” Ignis began anew after a long pause, “when Noct was returned unconscious to the Citadel, I was prevented from coming near him. I couldnʼt even see him off when he was sent to Tenebrae to recover. It would be long still before I was reunited with him, but the attacks both by the daemon and in Tenebrae would since change Noct forever.” Gladio felt him looking at him. 

With a long exhale, he turned to meet those eyes, though unable to remove any vestiges of a frown from his lips. 

“I would do all I can in my power to make sure that doesnʼt happen again,” Ignis intoned to him. 

“And this,” Gladio tossed a hand to him, “is exactly why weʼre asking you to come with us. Look, weʼll have company and youʼll be there and so will I!” He gestured to himself. “Me, his Shield!”

“Which makes things particularly confusing because why would you want to put your prince out there in danger just to prove to him a point?” Ignis spat. “You’re supposed to be protecting him from it!”

“What the hell do you think Iʼll be going out there for except to do my job?!” Gladio snapped, throwing out his hands. “You really think I just wanna go out on a field trip, is that what this is?!”

“Is that not it?” Ignis challenged him. “A chance for you to test the wilds, to feel the thrill of its danger under the context of your…your training?”

“How is this about me now?!”

“How is this not about you?” Ignis seethed. A car horn blared impatiently behind them, bringing his attention to the green light in the sky. He pressed the gas pedal to pass the intersection, signaling his next turn before the corner came up. “Please donʼt tell me Noct has specifically asked for this.”

“Yeah, you gonna believe me if I say that?” Gladio matched him frown for frown. “Noct was the one who asked if you could come. He wants to go out there himself!”

“Oh please, Gladio, you really think _I_ will believe that now?”

“Heʼs not the type to be scared forever!” Gladio barked with wild gesticulations. “You saw what he did to that snake back in the camp, he attacked it. Heʼs ready to fight, he just needs to know how to do it properly!” 

“And how is that supposed to justify this excursion?” Ignis snapped back, baring his teeth at him. “We are raising a king, not a hunter!”

“It was a king who beat back that daemon when he was a kid,” Gladio retaliated hotly. “And he wonʼt be that kind of king if you keep coddling him!”

“What are you insinuating?” Ignis snarled. “Are you questioning my methods?”

“Face it, Ignis:” Gladio shifted to look at the man closer, keeping his ire in his voice and eyes. “Noct isnʼt anywhere near the kind of king His Majesty is and those council meetings, that 5-star loft of his is just gonna soften him up like the _damn chair_ heʼs gonna sit on for the rest of his life! You wanna make him an invalid even before he ascends the throne?!”

The tires screeched as Ignis smashed his foot onto the brake pedal. If it hadnʼt been for Gladioʼs reflexes, he was sure he would have smashed his head into the windshield. 

“Are you out of your mind?!” he exclaimed. 

“You think this is all I do?” Ignis cried to him, a cold fever in his hard gaze. “Cart him wherever he has to go, cook his meals, make his bed? You werenʼt there since the beginning so do not start to claim that you know half the sacrifice Iʼve made for him!” His anger filled the vacuum of his car, white as his headlights as he jabbed a shaking finger to himself. “ _My whole life, Gladio!_ I gave him the entirety of it even before he had grown enough to hold it in his hands.” He breathed deeply. “I became his mother and his brother when he had none and needed them. And you just…” He threw his hand out. “Walked into his life with your familyʼs recommendations, brandishing your last name!”

“And that makes you the better man than me?!” Gladio roared back, practically spitting fire and burning Ignis with his wild stare. “You think Noct would be half the man that he is now if it werenʼt for me?! I cut him to shape!”

“Oh and I suppose you must feel so proud of those muscles on his arms!”

“Well, at least one of us put them there,” Gladio hissed poisonously, jabbing venom into Ignisʼ neck. Ignis fumed at his accusation. “Just because you had the luck of being picked out of a hundred other retainers doesnʼt make you special, Ignis. Youʼre not the only one whoʼs made his sacrifices here,” he barked. “So have I! All those years of training and honing my mind and body for that one day I have to throw my life on the line for Noct! You think I have it easy just because of my dad?!” Gladio thumped himself on his chest. “I built myself from the ground for a king I donʼt even know exists!”

“How dare you speak of Noct that way?” Ignis growled, thunder rolling under his breath. “How can you claim to be his Shield if you donʼt even have faith in him?!”

“How can I be his Shield if his chamberlain keeps getting in my way?!” Gladio yelled back. “Why donʼt you step back and stay in your lane so I can finally do my damn job?!”

“My place is by his side!”

“You’re strangling him, Ignis! Youʼre gonna be the death of him if you keep treating him like a baby so _back off!_ ” Heʼd never spoken that way to Ignis before—not even before they became a couple. 

Ignis wasnʼt soon to forgive this. That was the promise he held in his eyes as he stared at Gladio. 

“Get out of my car,” he bristled. 

Gladio pulled the door open and stepped out without looking back. He marched to the backseat to pick up his backpack and slammed that door shut. 

Ignis sped off with the mad screeching of his tires, putting Gladio to the smoke as he darted straight into the next corner. Gladio snarled at his absence as he hefted his backpack over his shoulder. 

He walked the rest of the way home.

—

Two weeks and two days.

That was how long it had been since he and Ignis last spoke with each other—and Gladio didnʼt know if he could last this silence any longer. He thought he could—the morning after theyʼd quarreled in the car, he made it plain that he didnʼt want to hear anything about the man, not even his name. Iris had known better than to ask why—by now, sheʼd learned how to gauge his mood and how to weather his storm. 

Noctis and Prompto had a bit more difficulty in…understanding the situation, the latter more than the former. It didnʼt sit well with him that his best friends who were _supposedly_ a couple had drawn a rift between them so large, they wouldnʼt even dare to exist in the same room. Noctis had tried to pull a princely attitude on Gladio to get to the bottom of the mystery but even he was silenced by his glare. Even the hunt for the Midgardsormr was never brought up again. This went on for a week. 

By the time the second week rolled in, Gladio had finally softened up to start wondering about his boyfriend. He could no longer say that he was angry at him for meddling with his affairs and belittling his duty to the Crown, but the hurt was still there. The role of being the Kingʼs Shield may have been dangled in front of him since he was a kid, but even as Clarusʼ eldest son, he had so much to prove that he had what it took to fulfill his calling. To his own father who _was_ the Shield of a most-loved king, his damn relatives who would want nothing more than to see him lose. The Crownsguard who constantly had to put up with his special treatment, those watching him with full interest like a celebrity gossip, the king, the prince himself…

For them the Amicitia, expectations were high and failure was equal to death. For him, as the future Shield of the King, the sworn protector of the Chosen King, expectations will never come lower than the heavens and deathʼs kiss was sweeter than failure itself. And yet Ignis spoke of his duty as if it was nothing more than a medal of vanity. As if other people have done the work for him and all he needed to do was to wave his fatherʼs name around to have what he wanted. 

And yet he wasnʼt without his own guilt. Ignis wasnʼt the only one who showed faithlessness to his job, he, too, questioned the necessity of Ignisʼ duty. Despite knowing how much pride he took in it, how much time and dedication he spent for Noctis. And didnʼt Gladio benefit from that, too? From Ignisʼ cooking, Ignis nagging the prince to shape up, Ignis bothering with all those little details so that Gladio wouldnʼt have to worry about them and could focus instead on Noctisʼ defenses. And to think that he claimed to love him…

Two weeks. That was how long it took for him to feel remorse. To miss hearing his voice over the phone every morning, catching his secretive smiles across the hallway and feeling his arms around his waist when he thought they could get away with it. To remember that despite their duties, they were also a couple. 

Gladio sighed heavily, looking up to the ceiling, still in bed. What had he done? What should he do? He knew he had to talk to Ignis, he knew he _wanted_ to talk to Ignis but he didnʼt know what the man might think about him taking this long. He didnʼt want to see Ignis upset with him again—not like that. Or to say all those hurtful words to him again, or to hear them back. Nothing a peaceful conversation couldnʼt settle, some would say—but being men of duty, they took their responsibilities more seriously than their own lives. They would always be bound to clash over what they believed was right and if that ever happened to them again… 

Gladio couldnʼt take it. He would never be able to deal with that anger he felt towards the man that he loved, nor could he take Ignisʼ own fury again. He didnʼt want to see the man ruined for him forever, he didnʼt want to wait for the day where he could no longer bear to work with him. 

So then…would he have to choose? Between love and duty? 

Gladio sighed again, looking at the phone in his hand. Despite his high emotions, he never had the heart to change the picture on his lockscreen, of him and Ignis in the last winter illumination festival. The hour stared at him accusingly. He was going to be late for work soon. 

Ignisʼ picture filling up the screen surprised him, like staring at an omen in the face despite the handsome smile it wore. It only occurred to him that the very same omen was calling him when he recognized the simple melody playing out of his phone. 

“Oh shit,” he said, swinging his feet down to the floor as he answered finally. “Ignis.”

“ _Gladio._ ” Ignis sounded relieved. Gladio missed this voice the most—the tempered one with its soothing tone. “ _Is it a bad time?_ ”

“No, no, I was just…” Staring at the ceiling. Gladio rubbed his face. “Iʼm still in bed.”

“ _Gladio, youʼll be late._ ”

Gladio couldnʼt help but smile at his words. “I know. Still concerned about me?”

“ _Of course, I am,_ ” Ignis said. He sounded so gentle. 

He didnʼt want to lose that. “Ignis, listen…” Gladio ran his hand over his hair until it landed at the back of his neck. “Iʼve been thinking…I think we better—”

“ _—talk. Yes,_ ” Ignis agreed. “ _Iʼve been thinking the same thing._ ”

Gladio nodded, as if Ignis was there to see him. 

“ _Shall we go somewhere quiet after work? I could book us a private booth in that Cleigne restaurant we both like._ ” It was one of their favorite date places. 

If possible, Gladio wished they could go…somewhere less significant but he couldnʼt deny that it was the perfect place for them. Not only was it quiet and unpopular, it was…it could be like…a last hurrah…?

Even with the pain crumpling his face, Gladio conceded with a difficult nod. “Yeah,” he said, clearing his throat after he forced the word out. “Sounds perfect. So umm…usual time?”

“ _Yes,_ ” Ignis confirmed. “ _Iʼll meet you by the car, as always._ ”

—

It was a bad day to be getting some work done. Gladio moved distractedly over his tasks with the new recruits, the councilʼs security detail and even all the meetings he had with his father whoʼd caught on with his rather…melancholic energy.

It wasnʼt until he met up with Ignis that Gladio seemed to be coming out of the fog, and then it was only because he had a panic attack when he realized that the thing he had been thinking about the whole day was actually happening on that very moment. 

And he still wasnʼt quite himself; he might have behaved no better than a zombie when he kissed Ignis on his cheek and got into his car. Save for a few polite conversations about their day, they were mostly quiet, never even asking about what theyʼd been up to in the past two weeks. There would be time for that later, they both seemed to think. 

The maitre dʼ who welcomed them and led them to their seats was someone theyʼd become friends with over the years of their dating. It helped that Ignis had such a passion for crustaceans that they were constantly gratified with secret menu items and on-the-house dishes. It should be a fitting end, really, that he would be the one to serve them on their last date. 

They ordered their usual favorites. They didnʼt want to have to bother too much with the food. As soon as they were alone, though… 

Gladio exhaled through his nose, clasping his hands loosely over the plate. He knew he had to say…something about them but…he didnʼt know what or where to begin. 

Ignis took this as his cue. “Gladio…Iʼve been thinking…”

Gladio looked up to him. 

He smiled. “About the two of us,” he continued. Ignis cleared his throat, then, pulling back his shoulders to sit straighter. “You and I…well, I suppose weʼve both always been…headstrong individuals. Weʼve both always been quite persistent with our duties to the Crown, and weʼve both always known what we wanted. Which I suppose is why we get along so well…” Ignisʼ gaze faltered. “And why we both quarreled so angrily.”

Gladio kept to his silence, waiting for him to continue. 

“I…I want to make it clear, Gladio,” Ignis went on after a pause, pushing back his glasses as he faced him again. “Iʼm not proud of myself at that time. I…became arrogant. And…quite callous about your struggles as Noctʼs Shield.”

“You werenʼt the only one who was out for blood that night,” Gladio replied in a low voice, hoping to reassure him. “I got frustrated that you wouldnʼt let me do what I wanted with Noct. I thought youʼd agree as long as we were both there but I…I never considered that youʼd have your own reservations.” 

He parted his hands briefly, as a way of shrugging. “I screwed up, then. I got angry, I became hateful…I said all those words to you.” He shook his head. “I…I should have seen where you were coming from. Iʼm sorry.”

“You only wanted to do well by Noct,” Ignis eased him. 

Gladio quirked a smile at him. “We both did,” he reminded him. Ignis smiled slightly at his words. 

Somehow, that made him laugh. “Weʼre like two peas in a pod,” Gladio chuckled, scratching the back of his hair. “Weʼre a lot more similar than we realize.”

“Yes,” Ignis agreed, voice now smaller, and his brows a little tighter as if in discomfort. “Perhaps…too similar. S, so…” He cleared his throat, pushed back his glasses as he distracted himself briefly with the pristine cutlery set for him. “I…Iʼve been thinking…about the two of us. I…” A bitter frown twisted his face as he squeezed his eyes shut. “Please understand, please know that I am not doing this because Iʼve come to hate you.”

“Ignis…”

“But I donʼt want our rivalry to eventually ruin us. So,” he breathed, “I think we should break up.”

Break up. When he heard those words, Gladio thought he might feel himself sinking in the void, perhaps a little out of air. But in truth, all he felt was…

The beating of his heart. As if heʼd been holding his breath underwater and could finally resurface and gasp. His palms felt a little sweaty…but that might just be him. 

“Huh,” he said, sagging a little to his seat. “You, too, huh?”

Ignis furrowed his brows, now resembling that curious man Gladio knew. This was the face he knew more than the cold anger or the bitter sadness heʼd worn when he broke the news. “Gladio?” came his half-stunned question. 

“This morning, before you called, I…” Gladio pulled himself to the table again, flexing his fingers lightly. “I was actually thinking of the same thing. I wanted to talk to you, but…” He spread his hands briefly, “If weʼre just gonna say sorry and do it all over again, I think that might eventually kill me.” He shrugged. Ignis snorted softly, a little amused by that. “And I said I donʼt wanna wait for the day where I canʼt stand you and I end up hating you. And if our jobʼs just gonna make that happen, then,” he nodded, “I thought it might be better to just stop this while weʼre still ahead.” That went out a lot easier than he expected. But maybe Ignisʼ decision had something to do with it… 

“Exactly my thoughts, Gladio,” he confessed softly, smiling as he did so. 

Dinner was served soon enough, with another special on the side and free cake, too. Gladio didnʼt want to eat the cake. “Itʼs like Iʼm celebrating us breaking up,” he said but Ignis insisted it was delicious and forced him to have a bite. (It was okay.)

They stayed for some more desserts and coffee, then left just as the maitre dʼ was calling for last orders. Gladioʼs ride home, this time, was happier than the last…if a little bittersweet. 

When he got off the car, Ignis went with him, and he waited by the corner of his house so they could embrace each other tightly. The last chance they would ever get before they parted for good. Gladio was always so careful about his brutal strength in such closeness but for this one time, he pulled Ignis as tightly as he could, though it only served to make the hurt worse. Like someone was carving his own glaive right into his chest. 

“I love you, Ignis,” he gasped, voice so full. 

Somehow, Ignis still managed to laugh despite the sad occasion. “A bit late for that, isnʼt it?” he chuckled softly in his breath. 

“Itʼs the last time I get to say it.”

Ignis pulled back before too long, putting his hands on Gladioʼs face, feeling the line of his scar, his thick brows, the sturdy bridge of his nose. Gladio looked closely back at him, memorizing the greenness of his eyes, the map of his moles, the soft shape of his lips…he would miss these. He would miss them so much. 

“I love you, too, Gladio,” Ignis promised him in the midst of the stinging pain that distorted his face. They kissed, and hugged for one last time. 

Then Ignis stepped back, and waved to him while Gladio stepped through their gate, waving back.


	8. Chapter 8

Months passed. And like the passing of a season, Gladioʼs lockscreen had finally turned a new leaf—this time, it was of him and a swimsuit model heʼd happened to meet in a small hunterʼs convention that came to the Crown City not too long ago. She was raised on knife-like heels, almost equaling his height, dressed in the colors and the brand shirt of the Culless Munitions. 

And when his buddies in the Crownsguard saw it, he was always so proud about it. The model was a huge crush of his and he never realized he might luck out on her just because heʼd gotten bored one weekend and decided to buy a ticket on the day itself. They exchanged contacts, of course, and have already said hi over the messenger. 

“Okay, but when are you gonna ask her out on a date?” one of them asked over lunch. Talk about timing. 

Gladio had just popped a piece of fried dumpling in his mouth when the question had crossed the table, but at least that gave him time to think as he chewed. He began his answer with an easy shrug, plucking another dumpling from his take-out tray and dipping it in the spicy sauce that came in a plastic container. “Dunno,” he said, mouth half-full as he bit into the second dumpling. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand. “Havenʼt really thought about it. Figured thereʼs no rush.”

“Yeah, how long has it been since you were single? Your last relationship was like…two years, right! Thatʼs like practically married, man.”

“First of all, youʼre wrong.” The man who spoke wasnʼt quite his senior but was anyway older than him. He went on to correct their younger friend with demonstrative waves of his baby carrot. “My ex-wife and I were together for two years before we married. Didnʼt work out. But my wife now and mother of my soon-to-be second child, we dated for _four years_ before we decided to get married.”

“Four years,” one of them echoed in astonishment. 

“Thatʼs like…forever,” said their younger friend who commented first about Gladioʼs relationship. 

“As it should be.” Their older friend snapped his vegetable in half with a bite. “Marriage is nothing like a curious fling, and relationships can take their toll on you. Even as a couple starting out, you need to be wise about your decisions so you can save yourself for your future spouse. Thatʼs why, Gladio,” now that half-carrot was pointing at him, and Gladio smiled in response, sucking the oil off his fingers, “take as much time as you need before you venture into another relationship.”

He saluted his friend with a sloppy left. “Copy that,” he affirmed. 

“Also, is that ketchup on your shirt?”

“What?” Gladio looked down and saw a droplet of the dumpling sauce hanging on his right breast. “Ahhh, damn.” Of all the days to come in white…

—

Gladio applied first aid to his shirt by scooping off the offensive stainer and then dabbing a tissue soaked in water on it. After lunch, with just a few more minutes to spare, he headed off to the menʼs room with an extra clean shirt from his backpack.

Standing by the farthest sink, he slipped off his leather jacket and pulled his top free from his belt and then through his arms. He could use the liquid soap and just dry it by the hand dryer, he thought. It should be fine, he told himself, especially as heʼd caught the stain before it had dried up on the cotton. 

After washing it off, he laid out his shirt at the empty counter next to him and slipped his forearms through the sleeve holes of his new tank top. He turned to the mirror just before he pulled it over. 

He always caught himself stopping at the sight of his tattoo, meeting his Crest in the eye. Two years sounded like a long time, and it _was_ the longest relationship heʼd ever had. For the yearning heart, though, it still wasnʼt nearly enough. 

Even though he and Ignis had parted on mutual terms, it was still a difficult habit to move on from. Months have passed but he still couldnʼt get used to the silence. Still couldnʼt stop wishing for his voice in the morning, hoping to catch his fingers in secret or for the feel of his hand on his cheek. Although he was always happy to see him around the Citadel and to beat him during their sparring sessions…and in the end, that was what they both wanted. To still be able to meet on good terms. 

It wasnʼt enough, though. Gladio doubted it would ever be enough, even when he knew that it was more than what he could ask for. And he _was_ grateful. He was thankful that those happy memories of theirs didnʼt rot and become poison. That whenever he touched the ink on his skin, he remembered Ignis looking studiously at his wings, dabbing ointment over the swollen lines, catching his eyes and then smiling handsomely as he went back to his quiet work. Without feeling the knives of regret digging deeply into his bowels. But there was just…a lot of longing. A lot of sighing and wishful thinking. 

The Crest was his, as much as it was the princeʼs. But it was Ignisʼ too—Ignis who attended to it while it was still fresh on his skin. Who always ran his hand over his feathers after they made love, planted his kisses on them. Gladio would forever be proud of his tattoo but now, he couldnʼt help but feel how cold it was. How empty and unbalanced it was on his back. If that was a thing one could feel over some color on oneʼs skin. 

The groaning of the door startled him out of his reflection. Gladio slipped his fresh shirt over his wings, taking his soaked one and his jacket as he made for a private cubicle when the voice had stopped him on his tracks: “Gladiolus, good afternoon.”

The man who greeted him was a legend in the making among the ranks of the Crownsguard, his superior by some years of service. And here he was, caught with his shirt untucked and without his jacket. “Captain Primula,” he responded. He finished his greeting with a deep bow. 

“Please, Gladiolus,” Primula chuckled, waving his hand as a note to dispense with formalities. “You know, if there is anything I miss about the outpost, itʼs how no one saw me any differently there. Truck drivers, hunters, graveyard shifters…we are all treated equally there.” That was the captain in a nutshell, kind and fair, a rare breed among the Crownsguard and its hard rules and demand for respect. 

Gladio, though, couldnʼt take it off his mind that this kindness towards him was rooted from something else, and one that he felt the captain hoped to grow in a…specific direction about him. He wasnʼt born yesterday, after all. Ever since theyʼd met in his welcoming party, Primula had been…quite persistent. 

He nodded at his orders but couldnʼt stop himself from bowing again, though shallower this time. “Iʼll keep that in mind, Sir.”

“Hans,” he offered his first name. 

“Hans,” Gladio repeated obediently, offering a cautious smile. 

Primula smiled back. 

“Iʼm sorry but,” the captain gestured to the cubicle door, “were you…”

“Um…” Gladio pointed to it. “If itʼs okay?”

“Of course.” Primula nodded indulgently. “Iʼm sorry for catching you at a bad time.”

Gladio bowed again, because of course he would, before he escaped inside the cubicle. He moved briskly once inside, tucking in his shirt, slipping his arms through his jacket sleeves. 

He checked himself by the mirror over the sink long enough only so that Primula wouldnʼt feel disrespected (or catch on that Gladio wanted out of his space). With another nod-bow, Gladio took his leave. “Break timeʼs over. I should be going now.”

“Of course, Gladiolus.” Primula smiled, nodding back. Gladio started out the door— “Um, Gladiolus, sorry.”

Gladio whirled around to meet Primula, by now flicking the water off his fingers. 

The captain faced him with another kind look. “Sorry, this will only be brief.”

Gladio shook his head. “Itʼs fine, Sir. Hans.”

“But…” Gladio thought Primula would have scratched his head if it was, at all, becoming of a man of his position. “This coming weekend, my Steiner classic will be arriving in my house. Itʼs,” he smiled when Gladio looked confused, “a piano. I play the piano as a hobby.”

“Oh,” Gladio said. “Sounds cool.” It really did sound cool. 

“And…I am planning a small dinner in my place where I hope to play a little for everyone. Would you be good enough to indulge me with this invitation?” Gladio would never admit it but he might have started panicking at that line. Maybe if it had been at any other point of his life, he might have been interested enough to accept but…with his experience among the Crownsguard now, and with the time he shared with Ignis… 

Gladio bowed again. “Iʼm flattered, Hans,” he admitted. “But uh, Iʼll need to check with my schedule if I have anything going on that weekend. I uh,” he cleared his throat, “might have some classes, then.”

“Classes?”

“For His Highnessʼ protection,” Gladio went on. “As his Shield,” he added, hoping his duty would add some weight to his refusal. 

But it only made Primula smile a little brighter. “I see, of course,” he responded generously. “Well, my doors shall be open for you any time you would like to drop by. I donʼt imagine the gathering to end so early after dinner.” Like he said: persistent. 

Gladio thanked him with a bow. And before Primula could trap him with another invitation, he turned and left the room.

—

Two days later, he received another invitation. But this time, he was sure to go.

“Ignis, congratulations!!” Prompto cheered excitedly at the formal white card he held in his hands. The energy in his voice practically filled the space of the training room, now that the session was over and theyʼd cooled down for snacks. “Finally got rid of that old joint!”

“Despite its age and limits, I do still have fond memories of that apartment,” Ignis told him, handing him his plate of canapés and chips—home-baked, of course. With his spanking new modern oven in his new high-class luxury kitchen. He flashed a quick look at Gladio who had to school his smirk off his face. That was where they first made love, after all. The start of what had been a wonderful relationship, and it soon became their love nest. Ignis piled a new plate and offered it to his ex. “That was the first thing I ever got with my savings.”

“Ah…no, I wasnʼt…”

“Itʼs fine, Prompto,” Ignis stopped him, now filling up his own plate. “I was very happy to move up, as well.”

“Bet itʼs not just moving up youʼre happy with,” Noctis jumped in, flashing the map at the back of the card to his adviser, pointing to a street name. 

Ignis smiled at him. “Noct, please donʼt assume that I also chose this particular apartment because it puts me within 10 minutes of yours.”

Gladio laughed. “Cʼmon, Noct! Arenʼt you glad to have Ignis as your neighbor? You get to spend more time together now!”

“Shut up,” Noctis snorted, setting aside his invitation so he wouldnʼt stain it with his finger food. “Well, at least itʼll be a quick trip home after.”

“Hey, is it gonna be a _huge_ party?” Prompto piped up again. 

“Since there will only be one of me cooking for everyone, I thought it best to keep it among the four of us for now,” Ignis answered. He popped a sandwich in his mouth and dusted the crumbs from his fingers onto the plate. “And before you get started, you donʼt have to get me anything.” He smiled at them all, seated on the floor in a perfect square. “I simply want to enjoy everyoneʼs presence in my new home.”

“Huh? But itʼs the first housewarming Iʼve ever been invited to!” Prompto poked the prince on his knee though he was busy scraping the lettuce off his canapé with a chip. “Hey Noct, what sort of gifts do you bring to a housewarming party?”

“Gifts? Umm…” Noctis searched the high ceiling as he pondered the question. “Probably champagne. Or like food for the party itself. Maybe chocolates.”

“Get something from Duscae Vinery,” Gladio suggested, winking at the round-eyed Prompto. “Thatʼs a sure gift if I ever know one.”

“Gladio, please donʼt influence Prompto into indulging your vices,” Ignis sighed. 

After snacks, they packed up, got the room sorted then made their way to the shower room. Noctis and Prompto left quickly after—earlier that month, Noctis had recommended Prompto to a family friend who was looking for a freelance photographer. 

Leaving Ignis to collect their discarded towels and toss them in the proper laundry bin while Gladio stuffed his shower kit along the side of his bag, or just wherever there was still space for it. 

“Youʼll come, of course?” Ignis asked him after heʼd finished with his task. He sat down next to his backpack, crossing his leg over his knee. 

“Who? Me?” Gladio snorted, one side of his lips pulled up to a bemused smirk while he pulled at the zipper of his bag. “‘sif Iʼll miss it for the world. Is it one of those places Iʼve seen?”

Ignis nodded. “It was the last pamphlet.” The one he showed Gladio when Gladio invited him to join his and Noctisʼ museum trip. Before that night ended, they made a joke about converting the living room into their sex den. 

That was all a memory now. Gladio didnʼt even know when Ignis had signed the deal and moved in. Ignis did a great job keeping these…extraneous details private now that they were no longer together. Gladio, though, had his work cut out for him. When Ignis offered him back the skull necklace heʼd given him so long ago, Gladio refused to accept it, preferring to hang onto that cross necklace Ignis gave him, too. He was glad Ignis didnʼt fight him for it. 

Until now, they both wore them around their necks. “Cool,” he said, with little nods. “That was one of my favorites.”

“I remember,” Ignis remarked. Conversations between them ended so easily these days, too. How sad and awkward…but Gladio would just have to keep reminding himself that it was for their best. 

Or to find another way to distract himself from the ugly truth, such as the ringing of his phone when a message came through. “And, I think thatʼs me,” he announced. He slipped it from his back pocket and swiped up to unlock his screen. 

“A date?” Ignis smiled. Gladio grinned back, ready to confess that he wasnʼt ready to commit to another relationship just yet. 

Until he saw the name at the top of the message: _Capt. Primula._

 _Gladiolus,_ it began. _Forgive my forthrightness but I was wondering, if at this point, I am able to ask for a portion of your weekend in a weekʼs time?_ The same date on Ignisʼ invitation. 

“ _Shhhit,_ ” he hissed, knocking the corner of his phone on his forehead, face twisted in exasperation. 

“Gladio?”

“Itʼs…” Gladio sighed, frowning at the message on his phone, tossing a hand to it. “Itʼs Captain Primula.”

“Captain Primula?” Ignisʼ brows met in intrigue. “From the outpost?”

“Heʼs been back for about a month now.”

“Oh, I see,” Ignis said. “And…if I may ask, what did he say that he wanted?” 

“A date.” Gladio clicked his tongue, reading the message again though it didnʼt leave him any less troubled than the first time he saw it. “Itʼs on the day of your housewarming so Iʼm obviously gonna say no…but gods, is he stubborn.”

“This wasnʼt the first time?”

“He invited me to this…piano party he was gonna have in his house tomorrow but I told him I got classes so I couldnʼt go.”

“And do you really?”

“Yeah, I…” Gladio bounced his head sideways and shrugged. “Kinda. I mean when I got home that day, I looked for an online yoga class and booked it.” Ignis laughed. “Iris promised to do it with me. Could be fun.” He smiled. 

Ignis indicated his phone. “But now, you have that predicament. Do you not like him, Gladio?” He shrugged, as well. “From what I hear about him, he sounds like a good man.”

“Yeah, I think…I think heʼs a genuine kinda guy, too,” Gladio admitted. “But…remember I told you about that time I was groped at the back of a _Crowʼs Nest_?” Ignis nodded. “That was a Crownsguard officer. Since then,” he shook his head, “I told myself Iʼll never be in another relationship with my superior. Besides,” he rubbed the back of his neck, “Iʼm…Iʼm not yet ready for another commitment.”

“Then why not just say that?”

“The guyʼs just gonna wait,” Gladio snorted, chuckling softly at his ex. “I met him in this welcoming party they threw for him and heʼs been coming after me ever since.”

“Perhaps you better pull the Shield card on him, then,” Ignis suggested. “Meet him for lunch on the day that he wants. Tell him you are well aware of his courtship in plain terms, and then turn him down by telling him that your duty to His Highness will simply leave you no time for relationships. You arenʼt lying, anyhow.” That was how they broke up, after all. 

“Think thatʼd work?”

Ignis shrugged. “Itʼll buy you some time at the very least.” He smiled confidently. Of course he would, he was Ignis. 

Gladio smirked back. He raised his fist and met his exʼs in a little bump. “Iʼll try that out. Thanks. Iʼm really glad youʼre still on my side.”

“We made sure of that, Gladio,” Ignis reminded him. 

He began typing his message, then, almost according to Ignisʼ specifications. Ignisʼ phone gave a little chirrup of its own just as heʼd sent his response. 

“And that would be me,” Ignis said, slipping his phone back in his pocket as he rose, gym bag in hand. “Youʼll be staying here for a while yet, Gladio?”

“Gonna wait for Jared to come pick me up,” Gladio replied. “Iris wants me to go with her to a local play and the Citadel is on the way to the theater.” He nodded Ignis off. “Donʼt make your date wait on you.”

“Actually, itʼs classes.”

Gladio laughed just as Ignis snickered. “No, seriously, Ignis.”

“Iʼm not like you, Gladio,” Ignis retorted. He waved to him as he started out of the locker room. “Iʼll see you around, then.”

—

In the end, Primula took his rejection gracefully, though he still expressed his willingness to wait on Gladio before they parted. At the very least, though, just as Ignis said, this would buy him some time yet.

After that lunch…date…if that was something one could call a date (it was in a very expensive restaurant), Gladio went and picked up his housewarming present before he visited the salon for a quick trim and a fresh shave over his sides and his beard, just to look a bit more presentable and to get that out of his shower routine. 

Half an hour before dinner time, he was already at Ignisʼ door, raising a bottle of wine as his greeting. Ignis thanked him for it, taking it to chill. The wide gift bag with his real present, he kept with him. 

“Noct and Prompto are on their way. I asked them to buy a few more chips for the salsa I made,” Ignis shared, gesturing for him to take a seat in his living room. He had one now, where before, his version of it was simply a plush chair stuck in the corner. 

The whole place was actually more than what Gladio would call an upgrade. The size of his living room now felt like the entirety of his old flat. And then he had a small dining area separated from the roomy kitchen, another area sealed off by accordion walls, one bedroom and one bathroom, both behind closed doors. The walls were a clean cream color, and the lights that golden kind of glow that he would forever remember Ignisʼ apartments with. It figures that in the end, that…vintage touch was something Ignis would take with him. 

“The place looks great, Ignis,” Gladio complimented eagerly, giving each side of the room his approving nods while Ignis rejoined him with two glasses of punch. He raised his one to Ignis as he congratulated him. 

“Itʼs a bit more expensive than what I was hoping for,” Ignis shared, putting down his drink after he and Gladio had taken their first sip. “But compared to my other options, this placeʼs benefits far outweighed its disadvantages. And with my present income, I should be able to afford the rent with a few minor adjustments to my budget. So I took a calculated risk and accepted the offer.”

“Iʼm glad you did, Ignis.” Gladio smiled. He really was glad, he couldnʼt think of anyone else who worked harder than his ex. “You deserve this place.” Then from his feet, he carried the gift bag to Ignisʼ side of the glass coffee table. “And this.”

Ignis smiled brightly at the rustic packaging and welcomed himself to the cardboard box within, secured by a fancy twine with an empty card. Inside it was a round chopping board with an inner ring carved into the dark wood and his name emblazoned at the bottom of it. 

He looked charmed when he laughed, Gladio thought. He grinned. It felt almost like he was wooing him again. 

“Thank you, Gladio,” Ignis said, running his finger over his name. “This is exactly what I need—my name on the chopping block.” Gladio barked out a great laughter, then. 

Noctis and Prompto arrived not long after, the former bearing a gift basket of foodstuff while the latter carried a board game, and for his present, some photo frames with pictures of the four of them together. It probably ended up being Ignisʼ favorite from all three of them, as he had already started planning where he would scatter them all over the place. 

After that, Ignis served dinner—which was nothing quite so special for them, by now being used to his specialties but they enjoyed themselves thoroughly, wiping some plates clean and leaving only a few leftovers for the visitors to bring home. They played Promptoʼs board game over coffee (and wine for Gladio) and had some store-bought cake after theyʼd become weary of it. 

And then it was time for Noctis and Prompto to leave; Noctis had the dreary task of opening up the restaurant the next day and Prompto had asked to be dropped off at his place. 

“How about you, Gladio?” Noctis asked, gesturing to him with the brown paper bag of leftovers. “You got a ride?”

Gladio waved his phone. “I booked a rideshare.” Best thing about drinking these days was that one didnʼt need to worry about getting home under the influence of alcohol. “Should be here any minute now.”

“Okay, then.” Noctis waved, heading out the door where Prompto offered his own enthusiastic goodbye. 

And then, there were just the two of them left. Ignis cracked the sudden silence gently with a light chuckle as he pushed the door shut after both friends. The automatic lock clicked in place instantly, sharp across the quiet walls. Ignis made sure of that door, too, heʼd shared over dinner. Since it was always quite the chore to get up and lock the main door when one was already relaxing in oneʼs bed. Or, when one was already getting hot and heavy with oneʼs boyfriend at the time. 

“It never ceases to amaze me how much noise they bring and take with them,” Ignis mused, rejoining Gladio by his couch set to start piling up the cake plates and the polished forks theyʼd used for desserts. 

Gladio smirked at his host, relaxing with a bottle of beer which Ignis had stocked specifically with him in mind. “You could put us four in a different place and weʼd all still be the same,” he added, calling back to the times when they would have dinner at his house and Ignis would stay over for the night. In those days, they would always look forward to the silence of their departure, when they could finally retire in his bedroom and cuddle up until the morning. 

It wasnʼt quite the same now, though. Ignis worked with his eyes focused to the task, and the flutter in his stomach, as he thought about sidling up to his ex and wrapping him warmly in his arms, remained only that—an imaginary flutter. Though everything else…felt the same. That comfortable quiet of being just next to each other. That…that happy reassurance of just being near the man he…he still… 

Gladio finished his bottle and got up with Ignis. “Iʼll help you out,” he offered. Had they been any less than a former couple, Ignis might have refused—but they both knew better than to stand on ceremonies around each other by now. Besides, there was a lot of bones and inedible stuff to go through, lots of plates and coffee stains to wash and dry. 

Gladioʼs phone rang out with a manic beat just as he finished setting the dishes on the drying rack. His rideshare was calling, so he waved for Ignisʼ attention by the sink and pointed to his phone just as he said hello. Ignis nodded and waved back while he started for the living room where he left his bag. “Are you here?” he asked. 

“ _Got a problem, boss!_ ” His driver sounded a handful of years older than him and twisted by stress. “ _My car just overheated. Thereʼs an accident here in the highway and Iʼm stuck in it._ ”

“Oh, thatʼs…” Gladio turned to Ignis casting him a curious look, “Thatʼs bad. You gonna be okay, though?”

“ _Yeah, got some traffic assistance. But umm…Iʼm sorry but youʼll have to cancel for now. I hope youʼll understand, Sir._ ”

“Yeah, I get it,” Gladio replied easily enough. “Um…if your car isnʼt insured, just let me know.”

“ _Thatʼs kind of you, boss. Real sorry for the inconvenience._ ”

“Yeah, just take care.” With nothing more he could do, Gladio hung up the call. 

“Whatʼs the matter?” Ignis asked, coming from the kitchen. 

Gladio sighed, throwing his hands up. “Gotta cancel. Thereʼs an accident on the highway going here and my rideshare broke down.”

“What?” His rideshare wasnʼt Ignisʼ concern, of course. He marched for his phone on the coffee table and called up Noctis from his speed dial, returning to the couch with a tight frown over his brows. Gladio sat next to him, searching for another ride. 

“Noct,” Ignis started. “Where are you and Prompto? Thereʼs an accident on the highway…” He trailed off. Gladio glanced at him, waiting for his phone to notify him of a new driver. “I see. Thatʼs good he knows,” he sighed. “Youʼll be dropping Prompto off, then, before you head home? I see. Let us know when youʼve arrived. Tell Prompto, as well.” 

The call ended. Ignis sat back as his fingers navigated his screen again, this time in search of any traffic news. 

“The driver knows about the accident so they were able to detour on time. Itʼs a three car collision,” Ignis shared as soon as heʼd found them. “An SUV and two sedans, occupying two lanes.” 

Gladio whistled. “Thatʼs fun.” His phone vibrated, then, alerting him that no one was picking up his route. “This is gonna be a lot of fun…”

—

Gladio persisted with his rideshare app, despite Ignisʼ warning that everyone on social media was complaining about having difficulty booking their rides, or being stuck in the road. And when he wasnʼt doing that, he was attending to his emails, making a few calls here and there…

He came back to Gladio with a tray carrying two cups of tea, steeping from the bag. He recognized the logo on the string as something that came from the gift basket Noctis brought. “Prompto just got home,” Ignis reported, setting down Gladioʼs tea in front of him. “Noct should be on his way to his apartment now.”

“Did you tell Noct to open up his window so the traffic guys could clear the road for him?”

Ignis chuckled at Gladioʼs joke, sitting next to him again. “Noct would jump in front of a car before he would do that.” Despite the luxury that he enjoyed, after all, they knew their friend hated being treated like an idol by literally everyone. “And you? Any luck?”

Gladio raised his phone and shook his head. “The last guy canceled on me. So Iʼm back to square one.”

“If it gets too late, I can offer you this couch.”

“Sounds great.” Gladio grinned. “Itʼll be like being your security guard and sleeping on the job.”

Ignis laughed and shook his head. “Please,” he said. “I would never think of you like that…” After some pause, he spoke softly as he added, “I hope youʼll understand why my couch is all I can offer you.” They never needed separate beds in the past, after all. 

Gladio smiled at him by the corner of his lips. “Iʼm just glad I could still be with you,” he replied honestly, tossing a hand towards his host. 

“Me, as well.” Ignis smiled back. “This housewarming would have…never been quite so warm without you, Gladio.”

Gladio brightened up at that, too. He always liked hearing how important he was to Ignis. 

“Speaking of relationships,” Ignis gestured to him. “How did your lunch with Captain Primula go?”

“Well, we ate somewhere expensive and I told him he had no chance.” Gladio snickered softly while Ignis sighed at his choice of words. “He said he was ready to wait, though.”

“I wonder if I ought to admire his bullheadedness.”

“Gonna say no to that, Ignis.”

Ignis smiled at him again. Gladioʼs phone vibrated. 

He looked at it to see the same bad news heʼd come to expect from his ridesharing app. “Donʼt even know if I should try again,” he chuckled, even though his thumb was already going through the motions. 

“Stay the night, Gladio.”

Gladio turned to face Ignis, catching his green eyes watching. “Okay,” he conceded, locking up his phone. It was the easiest thing to do for him. 

Ignis climbed over him, then, straddling him just as he used to. Gladio only had enough time to whisper his name before he stole the rest of his words and his thoughts and his breath in a deep kiss. Everything was…everything was just as he remembered it—the softness of his lips, the strength in his jaw, those rough fingers cupping the shape of his cheek and grasping his hair. 

Even the taste of his mouth, his wet tongue tracing the line of his teeth. How he shuddered when Gladio pulled his shirt free from his slacks and caressed the skin along his sides. 

“Wait,” Gladio croaked, pulling free from Ignisʼ kisses. They were both breathless now, both getting ahead of themselves. “Are you sure about this?” He had to clear his throat when he asked that question, searching Ignisʼ eyes for the answer. 

Ignis shook his head. “No,” he replied, grasping Gladioʼs jaw in his shaking hands. “Might regret this.” He definitely wanted it, though. 

Gladio, too, more than he realized. Their mouths met again, flushed with passion. He felt his own self trembling in a mixture of relief and excitement as his left hand traveled up to feel Ignisʼ hair and his right thumb traced the line of his exʼs belt, leaving his intention. 

Ignis broke free to catch his breath with a sigh, pressing Gladioʼs face to his neck where he proceeded to cover it in wet kisses. “Come with me to my bedroom.”

“We wonʼt be able to stop ourselves in there,” Gladio warned him with a groan. He met his flushed look when Ignis pulled his hair down from the back. “Iʼve never had sex with my exes before.” He had several rules of engagement when it came to dealing with his exes. 

“None of them are me,” Ignis snarled before he captured him in another intoxicating kiss. Unfortunately for him, he was right—none of his exes had been Ignis Scientia.

—

He never got to sleep on that couch that night.

Instead, he carried Ignis to his bedroom and made love to him there. And everything…everything was exactly the same as heʼd remembered them—his sighs, his moans, his begging whimpers. How he shuddered and trembled with his touch, how sensitive he was on his nipples and inside…and how he cried and gasped as he thrust into his hungry walls, how he wrapped him in its wet heat… 

And now his shape in his arms, his back pulled flush to his chest so Gladio could sow little kisses along his shoulder and neck and hair. He could practically hear him smiling as he hummed, and when he tickled him too much on his right teat, he took that hand, and pressed it to his clavicle as if it was a doll for him to embrace. 

Gladio sighed, steeped in bliss. He pressed his nose to the damp back of Ignisʼ neck, breathing in his scent. Ignis shuddered a little at that. “I miss this,” he confessed, his free thumb now sweeping over the flat of his lower abdomen. “Gods, I missed you so much, Ignis.”

Ignis chuckled. “I doubt youʼve missed me more than Iʼve missed you.”

“Oh?” Gladio hooked his chin over Ignisʼ shoulder, then, while the man turned to face him. “Couldnʼt find anyone to hold you in his big arms?”

“Couldn’t find anyone big enough to satisfy me,” Ignis snickered just as Gladio laughed. 

Gladio turned him on his back so he could kiss him again, Ignis wrapping his arms over his neck while he spread his legs open. He tested him with a careful finger prodding his entrance, still wet with his seeds and soft from their lovemaking. 

“Gladio,” Ignis moaned while he teased it a little wider, arching his chin up. “Gladio, wait…stop, Gladio, we need to talk!”

He pulled out quickly just as Ignis pushed his shoulders back. They stared at each other, as if suddenly aware of their nakedness, and what theyʼd done. 

Ignis sighed, eyes wandering again from his face to his chest, tracing the lines of the bird head tenderly with his fingers. “We need to talk,” he repeated himself, for the both of them, this time more softly. 

Gladio took his hand, then, as he laid back down on his side, Ignis turning, too, to keep him where he could see him. He still looked so handsome, Gladio thought. He couldnʼt believe that heʼd spent so long waking up without this face next to him. 

“You know,” he began, smiling a little. “Donʼt know if youʼre aware of this but thereʼs this thing called ‘friends with benefitsʼ.”

Ignis laughed, grinning at his words. “Of course Iʼve heard of that.” He looked at their joined hands, then, and Gladio saw that he had tried to pull himself free before he stopped himself. They were supposed to talk like responsible exes. 

“But I donʼt want to think of you that way,” Ignis went on, shaking his head. “I hate what it insinuates. That youʼre just a handsome acquaintance for me to satisfy myself with. It doesnʼt even say anything about our relationship.”

“Ignis,” Gladio clicked his tongue, “we canʼt be in a relationship. You know what happened.”

“I am well aware of that,” Ignis insisted. “You arenʼt the only one whoʼs scared. So am I.” This time, he didnʼt hold back when he reclaimed his hand so he could rest them on Gladioʼs cheek. Gladio closed his eyes, wanting only to feel his touch and to listen to his voice. “But we arenʼt stupid, Gladio. Remember what we said? We both know what we want.”

“I donʼt know what I want,” Gladio confessed, voice turned low by his poor secret. He opened his eyes again. “I want you but I donʼt want a commitment that could ruin us.”

“Iʼm not ready for a commitment either,” Ignis shared, nodding. “But I donʼt want to lose you, too.”

“We were doing so well,” Gladio laughed in his breath. 

“I didnʼt want you that way,” Ignis continued to make himself clearer. “I wanted…more. I want you like this.” His eyes fell to his naked chest, his flaccid cock. It used to be that such attention thrilled Gladio, made him prouder of his physique but that had been years ago. Now, it was simply…a matter of fact. That Ignis liked him naked, and lying so close for him to touch and feel. 

“That makes two of us,” Gladio assured him, and that made him smile. Despite agreeing with each other, though, he couldnʼt say if theyʼd gotten anywhere with this discussion. 

He rose, then, looming over Ignis as he pushed him down to his back on his shoulder. That sparkle in Ignisʼ eyes…unless Gladio had forgotten him, he could tell how it thrilled him that he would be taken soon, again. “Maybe if I make love with you again, weʼll find out.”

“Maybe,” Ignis agreed, cupping his face again as he dipped lower. Spoken all too easily…anything, just anything to feel him inside him again. “Or maybe we donʼt have to think about this now. Maybe it will be clearer come the morning.” So many maybes. Gladio doubted the morning would ever change anything. 

But at least they could be sure of each other. Their unsated wants, confessed so clearly by their mouths as they kissed, the desperate strength in their arms as they embraced each other until they were chest to chest. 

Gladio didnʼt wait too long to enter him; it was easy to get hard knowing how much he was needed, and how much _he_ needed. He carried one of Ignisʼ legs up to spread him wider while he probed for his opening with his throbbing head. Ignis let out another gasp as his glans finally slipped in, singing out in rising notes as he thrusted himself in by the inch. 

“Gladio!” he cried out when Gladio had finally hit him deeply. “Gladio…!” he moaned again, just because it pleased them both. He wrapped his strong legs around Gladioʼs pelvis, then, just as he began pushing into him in steady rhythms. Gladio felt his groaning, that tremor shooting up from his pleasured walls. 

“Keep singing, Ignis,” Gladio whispered, kissing him on his ear. “Thereʼs no one here to listen but me. Say my name.”

“Gladio…” So he did. Every mewl, every impassioned scream colored by his name. One for every night he spent alone without Ignis. He would remember them all, from the softest sighs to the loudest pleas. 

He dreamt about them as he slept on Ignisʼ chest, lulled by the steady beating of his loverʼs heart.

—

By the time he woke up, it was already morning. A bit late than Gladio was used to, and a bit brighter than what he was familiar with, as well.

With the drapes drawn and the owner missing, he realized this was the first time he was seeing Ignisʼ new bedroom. 

Everything about it was different from the room that he knew—for instance, his working desk, something heʼd carried from the old place, was no longer just an arm span apart from the bed, and his night lamp was new, with its own place by the bedside stand. All around, there was enough room for walking now, even with a bed meant for two people. And the walls were clean and light, one side of it carrying the open windows, another filled with his built-in closet. 

Gladio welcomed himself to a bath towel he knew Ignis kept in his lower drawers. He wrapped himself in it, padding out the door in search of his gracious host. 

He was missing—for the first time. Back in the old place, it used to be that Ignis was there the moment he opened the door, working in the kitchen, as he would. His place was so much bigger now, though, and the kitchen was at the far end of the unit from where he stood by the clear dining table. From the side, to his right, there was soft music playing. 

It was then that he realized that the accordion walls from last night had opened up, and there was a new room behind it. With a window opened up to the skyline, shelves full of books and other collections pushed back to the walls, and in the middle, there was Ignis, one hand around a pole as he tiptoed around it in latex briefs. 

A pole. A dancing pole, in the middle of the room. And Ignis moving around it in a tight underwear, swaying those amazing hips of his. To popular sexy music playing from his phone on a shelf. This was the first time Gladio was seeing everything. 

After a full circuit, Ignis finally boosted himself up, carrying his weight and his legs high as he whirled around the pole, hooking onto it with his right leg, toe still pointed. Somehow, he managed to stay aloft, spinning slowly, with just that and his hand as his anchors, arching back and spreading out his free arm, reminiscent of wings. 

Gladio felt his breath abandon him like a scorned friend. He couldnʼt believe how graceful strength could look, how easy he made it seem to be so featherlight. And when he swung wider, climbed higher, he could barely hear the strain in his breath, or see the hesitation or startle in his movements when he moved his grasp from his knees to his elbows. Now he was swimming on mid-air. 

The way he moved, it was a work of art personified, and Ignis was so perfectly suited for it. His long limbs, his taut muscles…and then, he was so, so attractive, too. Watching him in action, Gladio couldnʼt help but feel that heʼd come back to his life at exactly the right time. 

And had completely forgotten himself until Ignis had twisted himself upside down and dropped his legs wide open for a perfect split. For a front row audience, he was certainly ungrateful when he squawked at the vulgar display in surprise. 

That was the only time Ignis had finally been alerted of his spectator, mouth dropping open in complete shock. “G, Gladio!” he cried. If it hadnʼt been for his iron grip, he might have been in for a worse fate. Gladio should have thought better about his introduction. 

Ignis pulled his knees to his chest, then, and righted himself, weaving his legs around the pole for a firmer grasp of his weight. 

Gladio smiled and waved, still half in shock. “S, sorry…didnʼt mean to startle ya.”

Ignis shook his head, smiling back. 

“Have you had breakfast?” he asked his guest. On the pole. Because thatʼs what Ignis Scientia does. 

Gladio shook his head, tossing his hands up a little. “Came out lookinʼ for you but then I stopped to catch a show.” Ignis laughed. “You, though?”

Ignis shook his head. “I find it easier to pull myself up on an empty stomach. Otherwise, I feel too heavy,” carefully, he began to lower himself to the mat, “and then I have to run to the Citadel before I have time to properly digest.”

“You do this every morning?” Gladio asked. Ignis nodded. “Since when?”

“A few weeks after we broke up.” Even when he reached the ground, he still didnʼt let go of the pole. “The studio I go to is a new one that opened up near my old apartment. I thought it might be a good idea to expand my training outside of the Crownsguard. Whatever gives me a better advantage in the field. And it seemed like a good idea to try something new at the time.”

That made Gladio reach back to his nape for a little scratch. Yes, count on Ignis to turn a break-up into something productive. He should have followed his example and taken yoga more seriously, too. “So…the class you went to last week, after our training when you handed out the invitations…”

“Yes,” Ignis revealed, fixing a leg around the pole. “It was this.”

“One training after another,” Gladio whistled, shaking his head. “You’re unbelievable.”

“Nothing new about that,” Ignis replied with barefaced honesty. “I hope you donʼt mind…?”

“You know me, Ignis,” Gladio crossed his arms, “I love watching you do anything.”

“Then allow me to entertain you,” Ignis chuckled, raising himself again, spinning around the beam as he climbed higher, legs held stiffly away from it. 

He held this position for a few counts before he lifted both legs in mid-air, swinging himself carefully until he was head down, and then up again. Gladio couldnʼt even begin to imagine how all those movements felt in his muscles, and he was fighting against gravity to boot! 

“Is it hard?” he had to ask, as Ignis pinned the pole between his knees. 

“A little, but I am not yet very good at this.” Ignis hung around the pole with one hand and the soles of his feet pressed to the steel. “Would you like to try it out?”

Gladio gestured to the hard muscles of his stomach. “You seen the size of me? I can carry my weight in my hands but itʼs gotta be on horizontal surfaces.”

“I would be the last to discourage you to try, Gladio,” Ignis chuckled, sliding a little lower to the floor, legs wound firmly around the pole. And for his exit, he reached back to the mat and flipped back to his feet. A perfect 10 out of 10.

Gladio shook his head with a roll of his eyes, snorting as he turned to leave. “Now youʼre just showing off.” 

He heard the slap of Ignisʼ bare feet on the floor as he hurried towards him and captured him with his own arms from the back. He was warm from the exercise, and a little damp from the sweat, as well. 

Gladio couldnʼt keep himself from smiling at the hands over his navel, resting his own ones over them. Just like before—when they were still together. And now morning had come… 

He broke Ignisʼ embrace, turning around to meet those searching eyes while he entwined their fingers together. “Are you sure, Ignis?” He spoke softly, looking closely into his green gaze. 

Ignis pulled a hand free so he could fiddle with Gladioʼs cross pendant with it. “No commitments,” he began to answer. “No obligations.” He raised his eyes again to Gladio, expecting him to continue. 

So he nodded, putting Ignisʼ hand on his heart and pressing it down with his own palm. “If youʼre sure, then Iʼm sure,” he said, hoping to ease him. Though he didnʼt quite know what that meant for the both of them. Less than a couple but more than two friends with benefits. A pair of lovers who loved but not at all. A strange kind of relationship… 

With one last exhale, Ignis nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i saw a pole dancer being amazing on tumblr and decided that yes, ignis would totally try that and be good at it. also, if anyone wants to know the song i was thinking of during that scene, it was totally [_scarlet's theme_](https://youtu.be/_WCinZK1kQQ) from the _ff7 remake_ (link has no spoilers as of time of posting) 
> 
> thanks a lot for the kudos, the comments and the hits! ❤️


	9. Chapter 9

It was a strange terrain to navigate, this new relationship of theirs. With so many blind corners, so many roads that looked like each other. To Gladio, it felt like theyʼd gone back to exclusively dating each other, but they donʼt even go on dates anymore, neither do they buy presents just to surprise each other. Though they still shared meals and confided with each other…but whenever they talked on the phone, it was normally only ever about two things now: work and Noctis. 

No more flirting, no more sleepy goodnights and good mornings. All of that, all of those intimacy that would have peppered every gesture of theirs was reserved in full to nights spent together, naked except for each otherʼs arms. It was an unspoken rule; when they tested the waters for this hybrid relationship of sorts, neither of them thought to discuss their new terms. Probably because they didnʼt even know what they were called now but Gladio had always been fine with that. As long as they could still kiss, embrace, make love. As long as he could show Ignis that he cared very much for him, and that Ignis knew, he didnʼt mind. 

Ever since they started doing this, he never got to say he loved him, as well. That was a relief for Gladio—he was never a fan of it. 

A year passed, and then another…but somehow they managed.

—

It was the start of another intense summer when Gladio received the news that he was being summoned by the king for a special and urgent assignment.

“What time?” he asked, phone on his ear, pulling his blanket from him and sitting up, feet on the floor. 

“ _There is no time set,_ ” his father answered. “ _Just get here as fast as you can. His Majesty will meet you as soon as youʼre here._ ”

No other details spared. Gladio hurried himself across his morning routine, taking extra care to shave before he grabbed his usual bag and practically flew to the Citadel. 

Outside the council meeting room, he met with his father and greeted him with a bow. 

“Just us?” he asked, pulling at his jacket here and there just to right it. Before he appeared, heʼd dropped by the Crownsguard barracks to leave his things and rushed to meet his father. Gladio smoothed his long hair back for good measure. 

“Thereʼs someone else,” Clarus answered, just as the elevator dinged behind them. He turned to meet the newcomer. “But as soon as he arrives, we will be announcing our presence.”

Gladio didnʼt even need to look to know who the second man was. Having been in some form of a relationship with him for five years now, he could pick up his footsteps wherever it came from. Still, it surprised him to see the man slowing down as he joined their trio. “Ignis?”

“Gladio.” He nodded to him. Then standing straighter, he bowed in formal greeting to Clarus. “Master Amicitia.”

Clarus nodded in acknowledgement. 

After that, Gladio looked around the empty room and asked his father again, “Just us?”

Clarus nodded to him this time, “Just us,” and finally marched for the door to knock and push it open. 

Gladio lagged behind just long enough to whisper to Ignis, “I thought Noct would be with us.” It seemed strange to be meeting the king without the prince, after all. 

“I expected to drive him to the Citadel this morning, as well, but had to ask a colleague to do it in my stead,” Ignis answered quietly and quickly. “So Iʼm just as surprised as you are to be summoned here.”

“No spoiler, huh?” Gladio started to step through the open door. “Guess weʼll just have to find out for ourselves.”

The grand council room was dim as always, even at the height of morning. But where it was usually filled with people, there were only five in it at that hour—the king himself at the head of the long table, a servant guiding him through some documents, Clarus watching them from the sidelines, and then him and Ignis. 

Gladio hadnʼt seen King Regis too long ago, but somehow he thought he looked a little thinner than how he remembered him. He and Ignis stood in attention and bowed upon entering the room. 

Regis received them with a nod of his own before he sent the servant away with a shallow wave. The younger man bowed and escaped with all the documents in tow. 

“Please sit,” the king offered, indicating their usual side, across Clarus who took his seat beside his liege. “Although this will not take too long. My apologies for such short notice.”

“His Majesty need not worry about inconveniencing his subjects,” Ignis replied cordially, finding his place next to Gladio. “We are pleased and ever ready to be of service to you.”

Gladio thought that brought out a rare smile from the aging king. He wouldnʼt be the first man to claim that he knew what was happening behind the curtains despite his close connections with the Crown. But whatever _it_ was, the toll it was taking on their beloved leader had become…more evident in the past few days. And he thought he hardly saw him now with some color on his cheeks. 

“It is not to me that your service will be required for…but to my son, Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum.” Regis looked at each of them in turn. “You are aware, of course, of Chancellor Izuniaʼs recent visit to the Citadel?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Ignis confirmed. 

“And you must also be aware of the terms he offered…and that I accepted?”

That caused quite a scene within the Citadel alone. Gladio himself had to break up a fight between several members of the Crownsguard with opposing views of the kingʼs decision. After that, he canceled Noctisʼ training and advised him to stay in his apartment while Ignis drove him and Prompto to his address, where they could all talk with some privacy. 

Gladio nodded along with Ignis. “Yes, Your Majesty,” Ignis intoned again. 

Regis nodded in turn. “It is my intention that the wedding will not take place in the Crown City. Instead, Prince Noctis will be traveling to Altissia to be with his betrothed. And it is my wish,” he looked at each of them again, “that the both of you will serve as part of his retinue.” A journey. 

They were going on a journey with the prince. 

“And…” Gladio couldnʼt stop himself from speaking now. “When are we expected to leave?”

“In two days.” Two days. 

Gladio could barely hide his shock. Two days wasnʼt nearly enough time to prepare for a road trip, much less one that carried the prince to his wedding. There was his work to think of, and then their logistics, their finances… 

Ignis bowed and spoke for the two of them. Gladio followed too late. “Then we shall make the necessary preparations.”

Regis nodded. “I have no doubts about that, Ignis.” As if that news wasnʼt surprising enough, he threw in another treat…by pushing his seat back and rising for his subjects. Clarus followed him closely, offering his hands to steady him though the king rejected his aide. 

Gladio and Ignis moved too slowly, and too vulgarly. They stood after a series of ugly groanings from the heavy chair as Regis ambled to them on his walking staff. 

And held their hands each. “Ignis Scientia,” he began, grasping his gloved ones, “my sonʼs closest adviser since childhood…” 

When Regis turned to him, Gladio couldnʼt stop himself from raising his own hands so that His Majesty could find them easily. When he gripped them, he noted the strength they once held, that now shook with his bodyʼs weakness. Gladio knew that the king had been growing frailer over the years…but he didnʼt know how much of himself he had lost to time until he felt it in his own fingers. “Gladiolus Amicitia,” Regis addressed him, “my sonʼs Sworn Shield…”

He would never forget the way his king looked into their eyes as he said to them, “I entrust the princeʼs life to you both.”

—

“Entrust the princeʼs life to us both?” Gladio repeated as soon as he and Ignis had stepped inside the lift. His father Clarus stayed back for another private meeting with the king, giving him and Ignis the chance to hold their own private meeting.

“My guess is only that this will be the first time the prince will be traveling beyond Lucis after more than a decade,” Ignis began, punching the button for the ground floor. The doors closed and they began their descent. “And we both know what happened the last time.”

“Okay, that sounds fair,” Gladio conceded, watching the numbers drop. “Itʼs just…thereʼs just so many things happening in the Citadel and the Crown City since that last battle. Even the Crownsguard has been called to assist the police, and all our hands are full with riots breaking out here and there…”

“Unfortunately, itʼs easy to sympathize with each side,” Ignis exhaled, inspecting his hair by his dull reflection on the lift doors. These days, heʼd been wearing his fringes and the back of his hair teased up, always updated as he was with whatever was the most fashionable trend. “One rejoices that this long-drawn-out war is finally coming to an end. Another is angry that in spite of all that, Lucian lands will still fall to our enemies in the stroke of a pen.” 

“Sentiment for our king has been very low this late,” Gladio sighed, leaning heavily against the wall, head low, arms crossed. 

“Not only among the people,” Ignis went on after him, nudging back his glasses as he turned to face Gladio, “but also among the Citadel. I have lost count of the number of employees who have asked me to sympathize with their sides.”

“Oh?” Gladio asked. “And what do you tell them?”

“That Iʼll think about it when all my meetings and backlogs have been attended to. You?”

“More or less the same,” Gladio answered, standing up as they descended closer to the ground. “Too busy protecting Noct to think about politics.” He considered himself lucky, in fact—with Noctisʼ safety as his priority, it gave him a solid excuse not to think too much about this development. He wasnʼt built for that, anyhow. “Itʼs gonna be more or less the same even after we leave the Crown City. Just hope we manage to ship Noct off before the empire comes and plants their flag.”

“Yes,” Ignis agreed, following him closely as they stepped out of the lift. “That would be optimal.”

“Does he know, by the way?” Gladio asked, marching next to him. 

“I havenʼt yet grasped what he does or does not know but I intend to get to that before the day ends,” Ignis assured him as he pulled out his singing phone from his pocket and checked his message. “In any case, weʼll surely have a few days between the three of us to fully understand the scope of his knowledge.”

“Got that right,” Gladio laughed, stopping by the main entrance while Ignis tapped out a quick reply with his thumb. “Well, I better head back to the Crownsguard office. Thereʼs going to be lots of stuff to hand over and file before I beat it. You know, Iʼd actually even signed up for a master class on mixed martial arts for next week.”

“Then I certainly hope you didnʼt pay it in full with your credit card,” Ignis replied with a soft chuckle, turning to face him. “And on that note, I imagine there will be plenty for us to discuss before our trip. Would you like to drop by my place for dinner?” That was their codeword for the…intimate part of their…somewhat professional relationship. 

Well, it _would_ be a while before he and Ignis could spend some quality time together again. No sex during active duty was still one of their long-standing rules. And as if Gladio could refuse. 

“Sure,” Gladio accepted, wearing a chummy grin on his face. “Iʼll come in the usual time.”

“Then Iʼll be preparing a feast for us,” Ignis said, a soft smirk on the corner of his lips. “Iʼll see you around, Gladio.” He started further down the hallway, waving his phone before attaching it to his ear, strutting urgently to his next business.

—

Iris didnʼt even wait for him to call to find out the news. Typical of rumors. Sheʼd contacted him just as soon as he was about to sit down in a meeting with Monica Elshett and Dustin Ackers.

“ _So itʼs true, Gladdy? Youʼre really sailing out with the prince?_ ”

“Yeah,” Gladio nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry you had to hear it from someone else.”

“ _No, itʼs fine. I know youʼll be really busy today. I…I actually didnʼt want to bother you but I couldnʼt stop myself. Sorry, Gladdy._ ”

Gladio smiled. “Hey, you know Iʼll always make time for you.”

Iris giggled. “ _By the way, have you got plans tonight?_ ”

“Uh, well, Ignis and I were going to meet for dinner. Still got some things we gotta talk about before the trip.”

“ _Is that so?_ ” She sounded hesitant. “ _Papa called me earlier and asked me to book a table in his friendʼs restaurant near the Citadel. He wants to have dinner with us two but I already promised to go to band practice, and then the surprise party is today._ ” So a dinner just for the two of them. 

Not only would it be terribly rude to cancel out on his father because he wanted to have sex with his friend, he would be an idiot to miss this opportunity, as well. Come to think of it, he better use this time to get some last tips from the Shield of the King himself before he set out on his biggest job yet. 

“Iʼll tell Ignis. We can meet at a later hour. Iʼll just stay over his place if it gets too late.” Since they started seeing each other again, Gladio had been heading home most nights after sex. Just to keep some distance between them. Some other nights, though, they just couldnʼt get enough of each other while others still, they were just plain lucky Gladio wasnʼt being expected home so soon. 

“ _Really? Thatʼs great! I was worried about having to call the restaurant again. I really wish I could come, Gladdy!_ ”

“You can take care of dinner once I get home from the trip. Dadʼll want us three to eat out.”

“ _Mm, fine, but I get to choose the place, okay? Donʼt worry, Iʼll make sure thereʼs champagne for Papa._ ”

“Hey, what about champagne for Gladdy?”

Iris tittered. “ _Mm, Iʼll see if I can fit it in the budget. Well, I better let you get back to work now. See ya later!_ ”

“Hey, no drinking in public, okay? Youʼre not yet that age!” was Gladioʼs last warning before she hung up.

—

He burnt time in the mall near the restaurant, going through a shopping list he and Ignis had sort of prepared over a series of short emails before he headed off for dinner. Clarus arrived several minutes late, still dressed in his council robes.

“Did you take the car today, Gladiolus?” his father asked him, inspecting the wine menu. 

“No, I caught Jared on his way out this morning and asked to hitch a ride. Iʼll just take the train home.” He thought about heading straight to Ignisʼ place from there but he wasnʼt in the mood for the three transfers heʼll have to make. Plus, knowing what theyʼll be up to, he better wash up good. 

Clarus nodded. “Then letʼs have some wine tonight, shall we? Perfect to go with steak.”

“Hey, Dad,” Gladio clicked his tongue, “remember what the doctor said about your diet…”

Clarus silenced him with a shake of his head, raising his hand. “Let me enjoy this dinner, Gladiolus.”

He ordered an expensive bottle for them to share, and a rare steak for himself. Gladio liked his just a touch more done than that. 

They talked about the preparations for the princeʼs wedding trip, the treaty to come and the empireʼs terms for peace. 

“Iris…took them hard,” Gladio revealed when Clarus asked him about how she received the news of the kingdom accepting them, face a little crestfallen. “She said it isnʼt fair that we should submit just because theyʼre bigger than us. She said she doesnʼt want to live in a country ruled by the empire.”

Clarus sighed, swirling the wine in his glass. “Iris is still young. And she has known the war all her life. As have you, Gladiolus. Iʼve always prayed that you two will one day live in a kingdom at peace. Now I only hope that you can still live in a free kingdom.”

“Yeah, well,” Gladio shrugged, “with the empire setting up shop, there wonʼt be much of either. Just hope Lucis wonʼt look too different when we return from Altissia.”

After that, they knew better than to talk about matters of the state. 

Dinner finished soon enough—Clarus still had to return to the council, and Gladio was due in Ignisʼ flat. Before they parted, however, Clarus took him to his car and handed him a gift: a hip flask, wrapped in black snake leather with a seal on its upper left of a shield over a winged skeleton. He had often seen it around his fatherʼs personage when he was still younger. These days, however, he only ever saw it behind one of the glass cases in Clarusʼ office. 

“This came from your grandfather,” Clarus explained while Gladio turned the vintage souvenir onto its back. It was a little heavy in his hands, unlike the lighter ones they built these days with green technology. Despite that, he could tell it was a solid make. A few nicks here and there but only to tell him of what it had survived. “He gave it to me when I moved in with your mother. Now, I am giving it to you. A little something for your…first true job as His Highnessʼ sworn protector.”

“Dad, this is special,” Gladio laughed in excited breaths, grinning at the rare piece in his clumsy hands. “Thank you. Iʼll bring this home in one piece.”

“Iʼm sure of it,” Clarus said. 

He looked up to his father, smiling still. Ever since he was a boy, his father had always been larger than life for him. Everything he knew now was first taught to him by the man himself. As he grew older, though, and learned more things on his own, those lessons became fewer and farther between. 

Now he stood as tall as his father, and could meet him eye to eye. 

Gladio spread his arms out briefly. “So—got any last tips for me before I go and do some protecting of my own?”

“Huh,” Clarus chuckled. “What else do you need to know?” He gestured to his son. “You already look the part.”

“Yeah, but how do I _become_ the part?”

Clarus laughed again, smiling wider. Gladio realized just then that it had been a long time since he saw that kind of look about him. Maybe it was all because of the war all this time… “I donʼt know what to tell you, Gladiolus. I donʼt think you will want to know how I do my duty by King Regis.”

“I might, if you tell me.” Gladio crossed his arms. 

“But what is there to say, really?” That was totally a rhetorical question. If Gladio didnʼt know better, his fatherʼs smile said it all. “There is no template to this, Gladiolus. We do not perform our duty as a mechanic might assemble a car. What works, for instance, for His Majesty may not work for His Highness. And I suspect that will be the case.”

Clarus walked up to his son and laid a hand on his shoulder. “You already have everything that you need, Gladiolus. And those you may yet lack will come along when you require them. I know this, as I have watched you grow, my son.” He smiled widely, his lips a straight line, as his eyes took him in. All that growing up he did since he became too heavy for Clarusʼ shoulders. “And what a fine young man you have become!” he choked. 

“Dad…” Even when he and Iris had been younger, Gladio knew his father never spoke honestly about what he thought of them. It was one of those things where they felt and saw it and were satisfied enough to no longer have to hear it. He always thought that there was a reason he had difficulty telling people like Ignis that he loved them. But like him, and those rare moments of his where he did actually say his true feelings out loud, Clarus had his. 

He just didnʼt expect it to be happening in a parking lot next to a busy road. Gladio tried to lighten things up by breaking out into an easy laughter. “Cʼmon, itʼs just a road trip. I mean, I know itʼs my first real assignment as a Sworn Protector of the Crown but—” —he would be back soon. 

“It is exactly because of that that I am proud of you,” Clarus cut him, clapping him on his shoulder. “You have worked very hard for this opportunity, Gladiolus. And now, here you are.” For all that this was strange, though, he had to admit that it felt good, almost like the time he had gotten his entire Crest. He was at the summit of another mountain conquered, with his own father celebrating it. And then to feel a little closer in footing to the man himself… 

Gladio smirked. “Someone carried me here on his shoulders.” Clarus laughed. He bowed slightly to him, then. “Thanks, Dad.”

Clarus only smiled again, giving his shoulder a firm squeeze.

—

He went home alone, and spent the whole train trip rerunning his conversation with his father, standing in the middle of the half-full coach with his bag on the overhead compartment. From the train station, it was another 7-minute walk to his house which he filled with other memories he had with the Shield of the King. There had been many instances in the past where Clarus had spoken to him about their duty to the Crown, but none of them, he realized, had been anywhere near as…touching as the one that just happened in the restaurant.

“Guess this job might be a bit bigger than I first realized,” he mumbled to himself, studying his grandfatherʼs flask again. 

As soon as he got home, he packed a quick overnight bag then took a hot shower, making sure to use Ignisʼ favorite cologne as a finishing touch of sorts. He thought about dropping by somewhere for some bedroom snacks for them to enjoy as he skipped down the stairwell. 

And then he saw Iris chatting up Jared by the main door, handing over her gym bag so that she only had her bass guitar slung over her shoulder. Perfect timing, he thought. 

He waved goodbye to Jared as they passed each other, then tossed the keys of one of their family sedans to a blinking Iris. “Care to drive your brother to Iggyʼs place? Thereʼs a Brown Sugar Milk Ebony waiting for you for it.”

“Really?!” Somehow, Iris managed to squeal and gasp in the same note as she caught the keys in the air. But she was only just now learning how to drive and was as excited as anyone her age to do it with some drive-thru coffee at night. Like a teaser of sorts for what life as an independent adult looked like. 

Jared operated the garage for them while they boarded the car and Iris drove off with a wave to their bowing chamberlain. 

“Are you excited, Gladdy?” Iris certainly sounded it when she chirruped with the question. “A road trip out of Insomnia and then Galdin Quay! Ahhh, I wonder what a spa day feels like there?” she swooned. Like many of the Crown City folks, she had never stepped beyond their ramparts her whole life. 

“Itʼs not like weʼre going on a vacation, Iris,” Gladio chuckled. “This is work. Left here, donʼt forget your signal.”

“Yup, yup!” Iris switched it on and slowed down before she took the turn. “I mean, I know itʼs work but if I were the one taking a trip out of here, thatʼs totally what I would do. Left again?”

“No, just keep going straight. Iʼll teach you a shortcut Ignis taught me.”

“Iggy really knows his way around the city.” Iris accelerated. 

“Well, you know him and his coffee, nothing comes between them. Hey, slow down, no oneʼs chasing us.”

Iris eased up on the gas a little. “But you know, Iʼm really glad you and Iggy are still friends even after youʼve broken up. Can you imagine going on a road trip with your ex but youʼre not friends with them?” It almost sounded like she couldnʼt. 

Which was funny and made Gladio laugh. “Thought those were the kinds of books you liked to read these days?”

“Well, obviously, itʼs one thing if itʼs a work of fiction and you know how itʼs gonna end. But itʼs another if itʼs real life and you have to see his face everyday!”

Well, put it that way, Gladio had to agree. If he and Ignis had allowed their jobs to break them, that would be torture. If he and Ignis hadnʼt yet resolved their…real feelings for each other and he had to go on a road trip full of pining and sexual frustration, that _would_ be a different kind of torture. And one that might even end up poorly in more ways than one, for literally all parties involved.

—

It was a bit later than he expected to arrive by the time they finally pulled up to Ignisʼ apartment. Back in the drive-thru, Iris insisted Gladio also pay for Jaredʼs coffee, Talcottʼs hot chocolate and the slices of cake they would have for their midnight snack.

As for him, he came up to Ignisʼ door empty-handed except for himself—not quite according to his original plan but it was good to spend some time with his sister two nights before they left. Come tomorrow, Gladio was sure there was hardly going to be time for anything else. 

He grinned as soon as Ignis appeared by the door, let the man pull him in and accepted a deep kiss from him, as if they hadnʼt seen each other all day. Tonight, he wore his hair down, a white button-down shirt that had become a little threadbare with use and an equally well-loved pair of Crownsguard trainers. Gladio took this all in in a single glance, gauging Ignisʼ mood. 

“Sorry, Iʼm late,” he said with a little smirk. They stood face to face, near enough for him to cup his ass. He couldnʼt feel the seam of any underwear against the fabric. “I had Iris drive me over after I bribed her with some coffee.”

“I can hardly pull you away from family when youʼll be spending tonight and more with me,” Ignis chuckled, shaking his head. “How was dinner?”

Gladio nodded. “Good. It was good to spend some time with my dad. Tell you about it later. I havenʼt had desserts, though…” That was an innuendo. 

Ignis smiled. “Then youʼre just in time,” he replied, taking his hand from his back and leading him to the couch area where, indeed, a bowl of chocolate-covered…berries, maybe, waited for them on the coffee table. Not quite what he had in mind but workable. 

Gladio sat himself on his usual spot, then, and received his gracious host on his lap with ready arms and a ready smile. Ignis took a stem from the bowl and offered it to him. He swallowed the fruit whole, letting his lover pull the stem free before he chewed. It was cherry, still crisp and sweet, and dark chocolate with just a hint of wine and some spice in it. 

“This is surprisingly good!” he told him with full honesty, still chewing. Ignis smiled knowingly. “You made this?”

“Iʼve always wanted to try my hand on chocolate-glazed fruits,” Ignis explained, pushing back his glasses. “Itʼs easy enough to do but the flavors do not always have dimensions.” When Gladio reached for the bowl, he handed him another stem. “After all, if Iʼm going to make an aphrodisiac, you can bet Iʼll make it taste good.”

“Oh, we talking aphrodisiacs now?” Gladio laughed while Ignis reached for a third stem, this time for himself. He kept his right arm along Ignisʼ waist while he nudged the manʼs right knee back to give his crotch a little opening. “Is this how you spent the whole time waiting for me?”

“Yes.” Ignis smiled. “The cherries wonʼt last the weekend, so I thought I ought to do something about them.” Gladio laughed out louder. Of course he wasnʼt just thinking about sex, he was thinking about the value of his spent money, as well. He offered him another fruit. “I imagine we wonʼt be allowed to bring them melting and soggy in the Regalia, after all.”

“The Regalia?” Gladio had been about to bite the fruit being dangled to him when Ignis broke the news. “No shit, His Majestyʼs personal car?” 

Ignis nodded. “I could hardly believe the news myself.” He popped the cherry in Gladioʼs reaching mouth. “I donʼt know if I ought to be more excited or worried because of this. Itʼs a custom classic and runs beautifully but if it ever gets so much as a scratch on it…”

“Itʼll be on your head,” Gladio chuckled, finishing for him. His idle hand rested on Ignisʼ left leg, kneading lazily on his inner thigh. “Well, why not let Prompto drive it? Guyʼs been itching to drive a Citadel car, might as well share the burden with him.”

“Prompto? Why and how—” Ignis caught Gladioʼs meaning with a round-eyed look. “Heʼs coming?”

“Imagine my surprise,” Gladio replied, moving his hand closer to Ignisʼ groin. “The Marshal took me aside for a quick chat earlier. ‘pparently, our prince asked if Prompto could come so he asked me what I thought about his performance during training.”

“And what did you say?”

“A bit jumpy and noisy but could take a punch. So the Marshal gave him the go ahead. Heʼll come and pick up his fatigues tomorrow.”

Ignis sighed. “You should not have lied. Heʼs _very_ jumpy and noisy.” Gladio guffawed while he snickered. “Well, I suppose the Regalia will be perfectly suited for us four, then.”

“Dibs on the back, I need the leg room.”

“Good.” Ignis smiled as he leaned closer. “I canʼt afford the distraction.”

“Maybe we ought to change that rule to no contact during active duty, huh?” Gladio chuckled deeply just before their lips met. He could taste the chocolate and the cherry on both of them now, each kiss lasting longer and getting deeper until they were mouth to mouth again. 

The perfect chance for Gladio to cup his cock and press it gently with his palm. He always loved it when Ignis hummed deliciously in their kiss when he did that. He warmed him up with his touch for just a little longer before he finally kneaded his shape with his prodding fingers. 

They broke off, and Gladio chuckled while Ignis readjusted himself to open up a little wider. “Canʼt believe youʼre actually wearing nothing under.”

“Easier to dispense with clothes that way,” Ignis smiled, fingers coming up to work on his buttons. “Besides, with you here, I wonʼt be needing it at all.”

“Should have just welcomed me in your birthday suit.”

“And whereʼs the fun in that?” Ignis smirked, pushing his right sleeve off his shoulder, low enough to expose his right nipple. Gladioʼs favorite toy. 

Gladio smiled at him for the present and gave it its first gentle laps. Ignis groaned and shuddered, as he always did. And it thrilled Gladio and stirred him, as it always did.

“When we get back from the trip, I wanna come straight here,” Gladio mumbled, stopping his kisses when Ignis reached for some cherries, though his hand kept on, rubbing him still through the fabric. “And Iʼll want to take my time fucking you for as long as I want.”

“ _If_ you can take your time,” Ignis challenged him, lips drawn up at a corner. “I wonʼt be surprised if you take me here in my living room the moment the door locks.”

“Think I canʼt do it?”

“Not when youʼre always hungry for me,” Ignis countered, just when he offered another cherry to Gladio who snapped it greedily in his teeth. “Though I find myself partly to blame as Iʼm always ready to feed you.”

“And you wonder why I keep coming back for more?” They were grinning at each other. “A manʼs gotta eat.”

“Then I better fill you up tonight, mustnʼt I?” Ignis purred, tracing the scar over his left eye, sending shivers down his spine again. “Itʼll be a while before you eat again.” He tilted his face up, so they could kiss, opening up his mouth so that Gladio could come through with his tongue. 

It gave him the distraction he needed for his right hand to ghost around his back and flick his sensitive nipple. Ignis jolted on his shoulders and his cock but never stopped kissing, in fact pushing only harder. This was enough. 

“Ignis,” Gladio grunted, pulling free. “Straddle up.”

Ignis moved obediently, parking his arms around Gladioʼs shoulders while he fixed himself on his lap. They kissed again while he fastened his hands securely under his legs. 

“Ready?” 

Ignis nodded. 

He lifted him up as he stood, receiving his grateful mouth again, while he did his best to navigate his new apartment practically blind. The last time he did that, Ignisʼ leg smacked against the door frame and between the pain and the laughter, they never managed to get the romantic mood back up again. 

This time, he managed to dump him on his bed safely. The room had already been prepared for them—curtains drawn, lights low. 

Gladio only needed to lock the door behind him. Then he pulled up his shirt while Ignis watched him from the bed, already half-hard under his trainers. “You mind takinʼ care of your clothes for me?” He started to work on his belt. 

Ignis nodded, smiling devilishly as Gladio cackled at his attitude. 

“Well, someone wants to be spoiled!”

“Itʼll be some time before I get pampered like this, and I like to seize the occasion,” was Ignisʼ justification. “Itʼs a fair deal, donʼt you think? I get what I want and you get to play with me.” 

“Canʼt play without toys, can I?”

Ignis rolled his eyes and nodded to his nightstand. Gladio knew that furniture, of course—the second drawer there was where he kept the lube, among other things. 

Gladio left his belt and fly undone as he went around the bed and pulled it open. The bottles of lube were there, as to be expected, and one of Ignisʼ necktie, a bright burgundy shade with stripes of charcoal. 

Heʼd never laughed louder at a piece of fashion statement until then. Ignis was beaming at him and snickering at his own joke when Gladio waved it at him. “You sure?”

“You like me tied up like a present,” Ignis reminded him. 

“Do _you_ like it, though?” That was always the question he asked. 

And the way Ignis always answered was to smile and say, “You can find out to be sure.” He never said yes, no matter how many times theyʼd done it. Even though they both knew it. 

Gladio only laughed on, leaving it at that. He hung the necktie over the back of his neck as he finally pushed his bottoms down, stepping out of his boots while he was at it. “At least take your shirt off. Finish what you started.” He started to pull on his socks. 

Ignis sighed, even though his fingers had already reached for his buttons again. “I suppose one must do all the work here.” That tickled Gladioʼs humor again. He slipped it off his shoulders and flung it to the floor. 

Gladio joined him, then, carrying his knees to give him some room between his legs. His hands traveled up to the band of his trainers and pulled down, finally revealing Ignis in his entirety. He would never get over this moment, no matter how many times heʼd seen the man in his nakedness. Not for the first and last time, he would always forget to breathe as he beheld those hard muscles, the shape of his waist as his hands climbed up to his chest. Ignis shuddered and smiled. Both of them, they always loved this part of the night. 

“You know, Iris said to me earlier that she was glad that weʼre still friends,” he shared, rolling Ignisʼ nipples with his thumb. Ignis squirmed a little, making a noise that was halfway between a grunt and a giggle. “And sheʼs right—if weʼd hated each other, the whole trip is going to be a nightmare. And if we hadnʼt talked about…us before this…I might go crazy just missing you.”

“Sounds like one of those books Iris reads.”

Gladio grinned wider as he nodded, laughing deeply. “Thatʼs what I told her, too,” he shared. 

“Iʼm counting my blessings, Gladio,” Ignis said. He reached for him, then, while he could still move his arms. 

Gladio let him have this one, lowering himself until he could touch his face to Ignisʼ palm and Ignis could trace his cheek with his thumb, then his lips, then a part of his ear as his hand drifted to the back and pulled Gladio lower. 

They met in another kiss, lips parting and rejoining in tender motions while Ignis shifted to get more comfortable with Gladioʼs weight. He reached down with his left hand to pinch Ignisʼ nipple while his right hand gathered them both to stroke them between their bellies, making use of Ignisʼ pre-cum. 

Ignis hissed and sighed, pulling away from the kiss when Gladio let him so he could travel to the arch of his neck. “Donʼt leave a love bite where Noct and Prompto can see it.”

“Yes, Sir,” Gladio assured him, pressing his smile to his shoulder while he kissed it. Sneakily, he traced Ignisʼ damp slit with his right thumb and pressed down. 

Ignis jumped up with his pelvis, moaning through his teeth. Gladio beamed at the effect that had on him. He hushed him at his ear before he kissed it, raised himself to Ignisʼ face to kiss him on his scalp line, his temple, his eye as he slipped his glasses off, his nose and his lips. 

He didnʼt linger for long, though, even when Ignis tried to trap him with his hands when he rose. Instead, he caught those wrists in his left and held them over Ignisʼ head, where the thick pipes of his headboard were within reach. Ignis let out a little chuckle when he finally tied him up to his bed. 

“Feels okay?” he asked when he finished.

Ignis nodded, testing his restraints. “I was wondering when you would do that.”

“Well, forgive me for taking my time,” Gladio snorted, toying with his left teat with the back of his fingers. Ignis seemed to smile delightedly at his teasing. “I just thought we had the whole night, you know?”

“We do,” Ignis assured him. “We can take as long as we need.”

It wouldnʼt nearly be as long as he wanted, but when it came to Ignis, he was a greedy man. He was right, though, he should count his blessings, too. And he ought to do it now, he thought, while they still had time. 

Why wait to build it up, then? Gladio moved his glasses from his pillow side to the nightstand before he shifted on his knees and parted Ignisʼ wider. His erection was already glazed from Gladioʼs attention but when he lowered his mouth and lifted his ass, his tongue went for something else. 

He pressed it on his tight entrance and swept upwards to the underside of his balls, as though he were knocking on his door. If it hadnʼt been for the strength of his hands around his cheeks, Ignis might have bruised his head with his thighs when he screeched and kicked. With his wrists bound, it gave him much less control over his body. 

Which was what they both enjoyed about this arrangement. Gladio hummed through his lips as he pressed it to that sensitive patch of flesh, sucking at it lightly with a puckered kiss until Ignis let out a pitchy complaint. 

“I want to see! Gladio, let me watch…!”

Gladio had to laugh at his demands even when he gave in, lifting up his lower torso until he had folded Ignis so that his knees were pointed to his shoulders and his cock dangled closely to his face. The delight on his loverʼs face could hardly be missed. “You wanna watch me fuck you with my tongue?” Tonight was meant to be a special night, after all. 

Licking his lips, Ignis nodded, his fingers wrapping themselves readily around the pipe they were bound to. 

Gladio didnʼt break contact with those green eyes, glimmering with want, when he made a show of painting his entrance with his tongue. Ignis swallowed down his own spit as he tensed at his ticklish work, watching on with wild attention until finally, Gladio pierced through him with the steady descent of his tongue. 

His lover gaped at him as he opened him up, his breath quickening the deeper he reached into his heady heat, making a little cozy room for himself to dart his tongue in and out of. Ignis gurgled out a tight noise when he twisted himself but otherwise, was still quite arrested by the sight of being lavished. Gladio tightened his fingers around his ass so he could plant his mouth on his entrance and suck on it again, wringing out a tight cry from the bound man who jumped. He could tell how much he wanted to spread those long legs of his and trap him between them at the same time, if he could only decide. 

“ _Oh_ ,” Ignis moaned. Tried to carry himself flusher into Gladioʼs face. “Gladio…harder…just a little harder!”

If he gave in, though, that would give him less time to tease his wanting lover. When Gladio came up for air, he was already working up a bit of sweat, feeling his blood on his face as he grinned at Ignis licking his lips then biting it. 

He dipped his finger shallowly in through the lip of his ass and worked it up and down, just enough to frustrate the man into wanting more. “Calm down, Iʼm just having my appetizer. But Iʼm gonna eat you up all night, Ignis.”

Despite that, Ignis couldnʼt hold back his own excitement from his beam when he breathed out, “Donʼt forget to kiss the chef.”

—

The first thing Gladio did, when he woke up that morning, was to check Ignisʼ wrists even while he was still asleep on his side. They werenʼt nearly as rough with each other as they were in some previous nights but tomorrow was a big day, and they couldnʼt be clumsy about their aftersex care just because theyʼd been doing it for five years.

When there was nothing noteworthy about his hands, he went on to the rest of his front. He raised the blanket as carefully as he could so as not to disturb his lover, though he stopped when Ignis groaned softly and moved to lie on his other side, exposing the hickey Gladio had left just below his butt cheek. 

He went to the bathroom to relieve himself, moved back to his side of the bed and spent the rest of the time waiting for Ignis to wake up in the company of a book. 

The next time Ignis had rolled over, he was already blinking sleepily at Gladio. 

“Morning, handsome,” he greeted him, waving at those bleary green eyes. 

Ignis smiled drowsily and nodded. “Good morning, Gladio.”

He bent over to kiss him lightly on his lips, then sat back up against his pillow. 

“Have you had breakfast?” Ignis groaned, rubbing the sleep from his face. 

Gladio showed him the front and back of his book as his response. “Trying to finish.”

“And?”

Gladio shrugged, crumpling his face a bit. “Feel a little insulted theyʼre calling this the next Henruit.”

Ignis laughed, smiling wider. “Feel free to leave that book here.”

“Nah, Iʼll just put it back in my room. I gotta pack, anyway.”

“Oh right,” Ignis grunted, reaching over to Gladio. “Thatʼs me, too. My phone, if you please?”

Gladio handed him both his glasses and phone. 

Ignis slipped his spectacles on so he could squint at the time on his lockscreen. “Ah damn, Iʼm late,” he groaned again, now pushing his eyewear up so he could rub his eyes. “I am so late. I hope you wonʼt mind commuting home today.”

“Donʼt sweat it,” Gladio reassured him, closing his book. Ignis tossed his blanket off him, then. “Iʼll take care of my breakfast, too.”

“Nonsense, thereʼs nothing difficult about a proper sandwich.”

“Yeah but your sandwiches are always like, three layers. Thatʼs not simple.”

“Theyʼre heavy, theyʼre nutritious and well-balanced,” Ignis insisted, crouching in front of his closet to pull out his drawer with the bath towels. “Which is more than what I can say about a breakfast of dried noodles, flavor powder and hot water.”

“Hey, you forgot dehydrated toppings!” Gladio cackled. 

“Whatever, Gladio.” Ignis rolled his eyes. To shut him up, he flung a bath towel to his face which he caught with a snatch. “Now get moving. Set the shower on warm, Iʼll just ready the sandwich in the kitchen.”

“Oh?” Gladio smiled coyly at Ignis tossing his own towel over his shoulder. “I thought you were gonna be late. You sure you want me in that shower with you?”

“I _am_ going to be late, which is why I am asking you to set the shower now.” The last few words came through in a laugh when Ignis sidestepped swiftly from Gladioʼs grabby hands on his way to the door. 

Heʼd only managed to take one foot out of the room, though, when Gladio rose from the bed and snatched him up in his longer arms, burying a deep kiss on the crook of his neck. Ignis yelped and growled as Gladio manhandled him to the bathroom, tickling his sides with his fingers. “Gladio, weʼll be late!” he cried, but Gladio had ears only for his laughter.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fyi on the parts where i quote the game, i'll be jumping between a direct translation and the english localization ❤️

It was only supposed to be a road trip. After they took the Regalia to Hammerhead and brokered a deal with an opportunistic journalist in Galdin Quay, it was supposed to be smooth sailing from there. 

But that morning, when Gladio woke up, early sunlight spilling through the clear glass walls looking out to the sparkling sea, something was already…different. 

Ignis had just come out from the bathroom, hair already styled, shrugging on his blazer. Heʼd only stopped from his march when he noticed Gladio pulling back his sheets and dragging himself up from the soft bed. “Gladio, good morning.” He sounded tense. 

“Morning back,” Gladio groaned, squinting up at him, still heavy with sleep. “Everything all right, Ignis?”

Ignisʼ brows came together, and his frown looked distracted. 

“Ignis?” he asked again, just as his phone started vibrating. He went in search for it under his pillow—

“Gladio!” 

Ignisʼ gloved hand landed swiftly atop his fingers. That was a wake up call, if Gladio knew of any. He snapped up to him in alarm. 

The tension was also there on his hard-set jaw. Ignis shook his head. “Donʼt look at your phone.”

“What?” Even when Gladio glared at Ignis in confusion, he didnʼt dare raise his voice, or fight for his phone when it was taken from him. Back when they were still dating, theyʼd given each other access to their devices as proof of their complete trust with each other. Gladio never really got to undo that after they broke up. 

Ignis was exploiting that now when he pressed his thumb on his fingerprint scanner and dealt with whatever it was that was waiting for Gladio. When he gave it back, the screen was already dark. 

“Get to Noct and Prompto now before either of them wake up,” was the only thing he said as he started out the door. “Donʼt let them get to their phones either. Wait for me there.”

Gladio didnʼt waste another breath to linger in budding dread—he wasnʼt built for that. He got up, then, cleaned up a little in the bathroom and put on a shirt before he hurried out of his and Ignisʼ bedroom. 

One of the hotel staff had been waiting for him outside the door and bowed. He handed him a keycard, explaining that Ignis had requested for the master key on his way out. Gladio didnʼt wait for him to finish when he took it with a nod of thanks and welcomed himself to the princeʼs bedroom. 

He made it just in time—Noctis was still sound asleep and on the bed across him, Prompto was already blinking, quite at home with his thoughts. He noticed Gladio approaching quietly and beamed, waving. Didnʼt even question how he got in. 

Gladio pressed a finger on his lips as he sat by the edge of the bed, pulling a curious Prompto to sit up. “Give me your phone.”

“Huh?” Try as Prompto might to be quiet, there was no way he could have stammered that hiccup of panic in his voice. 

“Ignis will explain later,” Gladio tried to dismiss it, holding out his hand. “Heʼll meet us here.”

“What about your phone?” Prompto was whispering a little bit louder now but at least he was surrendering his gadget, the little light on its corner blinking. Someone was already trying to reach him. 

“With me, but I canʼt use it either.” Gladio took the phone as quickly as he could without snatching it. “Get Noctʼs phone.” He stood up, then, and made for the door, cracking it open to check if Ignis was on his way. 

Prompto followed through easily, coming to stand next to him. “Is everything okay?” he asked, voice small. 

At any other time, perhaps when Prompto was still only a civilian, Gladio would have told him with full confidence that it was, that there was no need to worry. But this time, he was a formal member of the Crownsguard. There was no sense to lie to him now. 

“I hope so,” Gladio admitted. Promptoʼs features became stricken with worry, then. 

It was a little later before Noctis finally woke up. By then, Gladio had moved himself to the wall adjacent to the door to wait and Prompto had wandered off to the glass side, pacing antsily. 

He was the first one to greet Noctis with a small start. His, “Morning,” was tinged with the worry Gladio had planted in him. 

Noctis nodded to Prompto. He found Gladio, then, but not the last member of their humble retinue. “Ignis?” 

“Should be back any minute now,” was all he said. 

Noctis searched for his phone, and when he and Prompto couldnʼt find it, Gladio suggested that he might have left it in the car…for whatever reason. That seemed to settle him for the time being, though. 

At least he didnʼt ask again until the door finally opened, and Ignis stepped through, crisp newspaper in hand. He walked with a weight on his shoulders and his steps, Gladio thought. He hurried to him. 

But Ignis only looked at Noctis, and Noctis only frowned and asked him, “What is it?” What was it? 

Ignis finally turned to face Gladio. He held out his hand, asking for the bad news. 

Ignis gave it to him. “Itʼs in all the papers.”

—

That they made it back to Hammerhead at all was a work of miracles.

Gladio had never seen so many Magitek soldiers in his whole life, much less swung his sword at such a number, with attacks literally coming from all fronts. He had his work cut out for him, then—keep the enemy at bay, keep his shield as close to the prince as he could, even though the prince only cared for the sating of his rage. 

Prince…? Was he still a prince or…? 

Gladio didnʼt know what to think. There was a reason, he said, why he left that part of the job to Ignis—he was the adviser, the strategist, the guy whose last name literally meant ‘knowledgeʼ. He was just the muscle in the group, the guy who swung the giant sword. 

It was only supposed to be a road trip—but that night, he sat in one of the half-old monobloc seats beside the caravan because they quite literally had nowhere else to go. Galdin Quayʼs port was blocked, and the Crown City of Insomnia had fallen—just like that. What the great Lucian kings of old had built for more than a century came down only in one night. What was a road trip without any destination? They might as well live in the wilderness now… 

He let out a deep groan as he sat up straighter, trying to keep himself awake. It had been a long day and between the shock, the adrenaline and the fight coming up and down from the hill, Gladio was beat. He better stand up, he thought. Better to get some blood flowing that way but gods, what an ordeal…

A careful hand alighted upon his back. Gladio squared up his shoulders, making a noise to note that he was ready to listen to whatever it was his guest had come up to him for. He could also smell coffee close to him… 

There—on his tabletop, just next to his hip flask. Takkaʼs house brew, steam rising off the dark surface. 

A special delivery by Ignis. “Something warm and soothing,” he told him, taking the chair across. “I think we are allowed this at the very least.”

Gladio snorted weakly, drawing up a heavy corner of his lips. “Good to know you hadnʼt lost your taste for the fine stuff yet.”

“Hope is in the small things, Gladio.” Ignis smiled back, though the weariness of what they went through was obvious on his cheeks and his pallor. “Take a little sip, Gladio. Itʼll make you feel better.”

Gladio took the cup obediently and tilted it carefully for a taste. “Mm,” he flicked his tongue over his cracked lips, brows pulling down a little, “bitter.” But an effective jolt to the senses, not quite a kick but more like a rude nudge. And the warm liquid did feel good moving down his throat and chest. “Black, just like our future.”

“Donʼt let the prince hear you say that, now of all times.”

“‘Princeʼ, Ignis?” Following his advice, Gladio did speak more quietly, though. He raised his eyes to Ignis. “Is he still…only the prince?” His father…His Majesty, after all, had been announced… 

Realization dawned slowly on Ignisʼ face. He frowned deeply, averting his eyes as he considered the new status quo. 

“But Noct is still so young,” Ignis hissed, baring his teeth at a ketchup stain on his tabletop. 

“The bastards didnʼt even make a consideration,” Gladio snarled. 

“War is a dreary business, Gladio,” Ignis sighed, raising his glasses as he pinched the skin between his eyes. “We were already cornered and weakened.”

“So they crushed us under their boot.”

“And now weʼre scattering for shelter. Like ants.”

Gladio drank more of that coffee, let the hot liquid singe him going down. He was definitely more awake now. He wasnʼt sure about the comfort but heʼd take alertness over it. 

“Anything new from your sister?” Ignis whispered after a pause. 

Gladio had been about to take another sip, then. But after a second, he put it down, looking crestfallen as he nodded in response. “The last refugee group finally came through with their list of names. And sheʼs gone over all the lists from the other refugee groups twice but…”

Ignis nodded in understanding when Gladio trailed off. “No Scientia.”

Gladio watched his expression across the table. 

A frail smile flashed briefly along his ashen lips. “It seemed impossible from the start,” Ignis went on. “My uncle was in the Citadel when the attack happened. Those of our colleagues who survived, they had no clue of his whereabouts either.”

“He was your only living relative in the city, yeah?”

“Yes,” Ignis confirmed. “So…in a way, weʼd tried to look after each other. In our own ways.”

“Iʼm sorry, Ignis.”

Ignis only smiled again. “How is Iris taking all of this?”

Gladio shook his head this time. “I donʼt wanna keep askinʼ. Sheʼs trying to sound cheerful but I can hear her voice shaking over the phone. Sheʼs…” His brows tightened between them, a bitter taste that wasnʼt coffee filling his tongue. “Sheʼs trying to be strong…sheʼs helping out with the leaders of their refugee group but I know sheʼs scared and sheʼs looking for company…even with Jared and Talcott, she feels all alone.”

“Thereʼs no company, no comfort quite like family, Gladio. Especially in such dark times,” Ignis offered his thoughts. He had the right of it, of course. If it had been any different, he might have been with his sister now. But, he belonged to the male line of the main branch of the Amicitia. He was… 

He was his fatherʼs… 

“Iʼm…” Ignis frowned, face twisted by Gladioʼs loss. “Very sorry about your father. Gladio…” His father, Clarus… 

Gladio didnʼt know if he ought to feel better knowing that his father knew what was coming. Why else would he bequeath to him another family heirloom on top of the ink on his back, bearing heartful words? His family only rarely ate out together but the night before they left, Clarus had insisted on it. That was the last time he ever got to say goodbye to his father. 

He tried to laugh, though it only came out in puffs of air. “He was killed doing what he loved—protecting the king.” That was all that he told himself. 

Ignis nodded. “I suppose…there is some comfort to be had from that…”

Gladio smirked wanly. He took the hip flask, full of his and his fatherʼs favorite Caem brandy, and brushed his thumb over the silver emblem. “After his heart procedure, back when I was in junior high school, the royal doctor ordered him to take a month off.” He started to chuckle, though it came out in cracked noises. “He was insufferable, then—couldnʼt stop talking about his job, the king…he told me that a Shieldʼs place was only by his liegeʼs side.” 

He frowned deeply. “He never made me forget. Dad never got in the way of what I wanted to do for my own training but,” he put down his hip flask, “he never failed to remind me that my training would be meaningless if it was only for myself. That I should never forget about my duty to the Crown even in my dreams—to stand by Noctʼs side and put his life before mine.” 

“And now…” Ignis cleared his throat when his voice cracked. “Gladio…do you know what this means?”

He didnʼt—until now. Until Ignis had asked him, leaning closer, putting his weight on his arm on the table. His eyes went up to face the man. 

“You are the Shield of the King now,” Ignis said, giving voice to Gladioʼs own thoughts. His father told him before they left that he already looked the part. That he already knew everything that he needed to know. 

Now it was time to put everything to the test. Gladio nodded, though he wouldnʼt be surprised if Ignis could hear how loudly his heart was hammering inside him. “Iʼll protect Noct with my life.”

Ignis nodded back. “I know you will.”

His coffee had gone cold now—heʼd only noticed when he picked it up because he wanted to do something with his hands. 

He put it back down and rubbed them over his face instead. “We need to think about our sleeping arrangements. The enemy could be coming for Noct at any time of the day so someoneʼll have to stay up and keep an eye on him. Iʼll do tonight.”

“You can hardly move yourself from that chair and youʼll need proper rest to look after Noct,” Ignis protested. “I cannot stand watch either as I will be manning the car.”

“Ignis, Prompto canʼt do this job on his own.”

“That leaves us with only one option, then: we all get some rest. And we all stay alert even in our sleep.”

Gladio shook his head. “That puts too much at risk. If the empire attacks, one move too late could be the end of us. We still donʼt know how they move.”

“But we have no choice,” Ignis pressed on. “The Crown City has fallen, and with it the Kingsglaive and the Crownsguard. There is no one left for us to turn to, we are…quite simply all that we have left. All that _Noct_ has left.” 

“Thatʼs why we gotta do everything ourselves,” Gladio argued back. “Noct is the only Caelum left and we have to protect him as if we were the entire Crownsguard and Kingsglaive. The empire wonʼt show mercy to us, not now when they have us right where they want us.” 

“And if we should fall,” Ignis stopped him there, “if at least one of us should lose, then that would leave Noct with much less. We have to take care of each other, Gladio.”

“The empire wonʼt wait until weʼve caught our breaths before they launch an offensive, Ignis!”

“Which is why weʼll have to do it now before we lose our chance! Gladio, will you not let me have this round?” This was the first time theyʼd raised their voices on each other again, in a while. Though for a change…neither of them were frothing in the mouths. 

No, Gladio didnʼt want to fight Ignis tonight. Heʼd had enough—even a guy whoʼd been raised in the ways of it like him could use a little break from it. He looked sullenly at his cold coffee. 

Ignis sighed heavily, pulling off his glasses to press his eyes on the back of his wrist. 

“Give me the nights, Gladio.” He spoke softly, again after a long heartbeat. “Give us time to rest, and to eat. That is all I will ask of you. As to the rest of the details of our survival, I will leave them up to you without question.” Ignis looked so drained and weary…

Even if heʼd been livid with his friend, Gladio doubted heʼd have the heart to keep quarreling. “Iʼm gonna need your thoughts on some stuff, you know?”

“Of course.” Ignis nodded, pulling himself up straighter, putting his glasses back on. “Consider me at your service.”

Gladio responded only by moving his head up and down, eyes both seeing and not seeing Ignis. He considered his coffee again. Seemed a shame to let it go to waste—

Promptoʼs sudden cry brought his shoulders back up, arms tensing for action. Ignis across him had started to rise, pushing his seat back but Gladio held out his hand to stop him. Heʼd heard something else through the caravanʼs thin wall. 

“Prompto.” Noctis had come through, and he sounded like he hadnʼt been asleep at all. “Hey…you okay?”

“Yeah!” Promptoʼs voice sounded too strained, though, despite his normal pitch. It reminded Gladio of a wire that was ready to snap. “I just…I…I just…”

“Gladio,” Ignis called to him in a low voice. “The Argentums…did Iris say anything about them?” His parents… 

“The president of their neighborhood association is in the same refugee group as her,” Gladio began. “She said he was trying to get all the households to evacuate with him but the Argentums had gone ahead in a car. No oneʼs seen them anywhere since. And their names arenʼt in any of the lists, either…” Which meant that… 

Ignis nodded in understanding. 

“I was just dreaming.” Prompto laughed mechanically. “And…and I thought I heard my mom calling. Y, you know, she hates being alone. Th, thatʼs why Dad always goes with her even to her OB checkups…b, but I couldnʼt find her no matter where I ran and I…I, I…!”

Ignis pulled on the strap of his leather glove and eased it off until his fingers were free. He put his hand, then, quite literally on the table, no words spoken. 

Gladio didnʼt need to hear them. He took it in his own right, slipping his fingers between Ignisʼ to squeeze him firmly, feeling the same strength in his own digits. 

“I hope Mom and Dad were together until…!”

“Prompto…” Noctis tried to reach him. 

“Ahhh! But…Noct, you shouldnʼt worry about me.” Prompto laughed again. “I…Iʼm all right, really.”

“Hey…youʼre not the only guy who lost his parents, you know?”

Silence… 

“Iʼm…really sorry…that this happened to Insomnia.” Noctisʼ voice sounded rough. “I thought…I thought Iʼd still have time to save everyone but…”

Ignisʼ fingers threatened to break his fist, shaking as they tightened harder. 

“But I wonʼt let it end like this,” Noctis persisted. “I swear this, Prompto. On my life…and in the name of all the kings of Lucis before me…Iʼll take back whatʼs ours. I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i think this is officially the longest fic i have ever written ever and i still have halfway to go lol. two months of writing everyday during lockdown, amirite?
> 
> thanks for leaving kudos and comments and for stopping by! 💕


	11. Chapter 11

In truth, it hadnʼt been too long since Gladio and Iris had hung out together—back in Lestallum, when they were reunited after the attack on Insomnia for the first time, theyʼd made it a point to catch up with each other, eating street food by the observatory deck at night. It was a rare privilege afforded to them, he knew, by the power of their forefathers who had made sure that House Amicitia remained popular amongst the Crownsguard. So when it came down to evacuating the people, it was obvious why they would remember to look after Lady Amicitia herself. 

That had felt like a spectacularly long time ago. Ever since, theyʼd already made the acquaintance of two deities, raided some tombs and two imperial bases and lost another person that was important to them. 

All that happened in the span of a few days. Gladio wasnʼt surprised, then, that Iris seemed to have become withdrawn and quite unlike her usual self. He could tell this easily because she always wanted to hang out with them, even though sheʼd never had a problem of going it alone before. 

“Hope you guys donʼt mind,” Gladio had asked of his friends after explaining to them Irisʼ behavior while she was in the ladies room. That happened one night before they hit the road, where they dined in the restaurant at the corner of the main thoroughfare in Lestallum. He felt grateful when everyone else voiced their support. 

That was why, after theyʼd attacked Fort Vaullerey and called it a long day, Gladio made it a point to drag Iris to a quick midnight snack at _Crowʼs Nest_. “My treat,” he insisted—even though there wasnʼt any need for it but he wanted to make his sister smile. 

They talked about the imperial base, the strange woman who attacked them there, all the things theyʼd been through since Lestallum, since Insomnia… 

Iris cried noisily, in what felt like the first time since they both lost everything. Gladio couldnʼt be more thankful for the guy behind the counter when he dropped by their booth with a plate of tissue and a glass of water while Iris sobbed on his chest, grasping at his open jacket. In the end, after all, for all that she was born in a family of fighters, she was just a little girl who only wanted late night drive-thrus, spas and massages in Galdin Quay. None of this war business, none of the empireʼs wickedness. 

Gladio himself couldnʼt stop from turning away to dry his own eyes and nose. Iris was scared and between the depth of her sorrow and the weight of his duty, he couldnʼt even do anything to comfort her. Then again, it wasnʼt like he could do much of anything these days. When he teared up, he couldnʼt even say if he was doing it with her or for himself. How useless was that? 

After that, theyʼd lost their appetite and put everything theyʼd barely touched in a take-out bag. Prompto would be happy to receive it, Gladio thought. He would take it to his room and as for Iris, she would finally be able to get some sleep, tired by her racing emotions. 

The motel in Old Lestallum was a fairly small one, suitable mostly only for travelers looking for a bedspace to spend the night in. It was just to their luck that visitors to that region hadnʼt been quite as bountiful as normal ever since the empire took over and put up those blockades and checkpoints and military fortresses nobody wanted to deal with. Not to mention, Fort Vaullerey loomed so closely to them…

So the end result was that they could easily book three rooms for themselves, though at quite the price despite the two-plus-one promo the motel had going. Gladio volunteered to sleep in the same room as Noctis that night, taking the one next to the reception window with the thinking that if anything came up, the innkeeper would be the first to make a noise. Iris would have her own just beside them. 

Which put Prompto and Ignis in the last room at the left, at the end of the corner. It was, also, the only other room that had no leaks or suspicious red stains on the floor. It would be a good idea to drop by Ignis and check on him, too, Gladio thought, making his way to their lodging until something else had caught his eye:

Noctis sat atop the old building, backed by the signage, a dark silhouette in the midst of its bright red letters. And then coming up from behind, another person with lighter hair, built similarly to the prince… 

Gladio felt a smile on his face. If he were to be brutally honest about Promptoʼs performance in the field, he wouldnʼt… _yet_ entrust his life completely in his hands, much less the prince— _the kingʼs_. But if it werenʼt for his presence, he doubted they would have been able to stay this sane for this long, and Noctis most of all. 

Hope was in the little things—that was what Ignis said. But if Prompto was up there with his best friend, then… 

Gladio went up the steps to the door at the end of the open corridor and looked into the tiny window. Promptoʼs roommate sat in one of the solo couches, staring absent-mindedly at the low table, cheek on fist. He tapped on the glass lightly to catch his attention but received no response. He realized, then, that Ignis probably wasnʼt actually staring…he probably wasnʼt even awake, in the first place. 

One part of him thought he ought to let the poor man sleep, but then what would he do with his take-out bag? Besides, Ignis would be pissed the next morning if he woke up with a stiff back and that wasnʼt something Gladio wanted to put up with. So he better get him to bed while he still had the chance. 

He rapped a little loudly on the door. Ignis called out a solid second later to give him a moment. 

When he opened the door, he was still adjusting his glasses, looking a little bleary-eyed, elbow deep with work if the rolled back sleeves of his button-down top said anything. His gloves were gone and his hair was down, which meant heʼd already taken a shower. “Gladio,” he greeted him. “How can I help you tonight?”

Gladio raised the brown bag with a print of Kenny Crow on its lower right corner. “Thought you—” Might be hungry—

“Yes.” Those green eyes suddenly came alive just as Ignis snatched the bag from his fist and brought it in. “Thank you, Gladio, this is very thoughtful of you.”

Gladio stood stunned for one more second before he choked in amusement, stepping through the door. “You’re welcome. So, Iʼll just see myself—” In—

“Wonʼt you come inside, Gladio?”

“Yeah,” Gladio said, pulling the door shut after him. “Sure.” That was what he was saying. 

The rooms in the motel were all similar to each other—two beds, a lounge set in the middle. But where his and Noctisʼ table was littered with cards and empty packs of chips, Prompto and Ignisʼ was completely occupied by receipts, sheets full of scribbles, an auto magazine, the coins atop it and the bank notes it held down. Ignis was doing the accounting again… 

“Looking okay?” Gladio winced, taking the seat next to him. Ignis had just negotiated space for his late, late dinner by pushing things around so he could finally dig into his and Irisʼ unfinished fries. This was the first time heʼd ever seen the man so excited about outpost junk food. 

“After the last hunt, and after we sold a few of our older equipment, I think we should be able to have enough until we finally arrive at Cape Caem,” Ignis shared, allowing himself a little smile. 

Gladio smiled back. “Thatʼs the look I like to see on your face.”

Ignis laughed, shaking the open cardboard box of fries while he raised it to his lips. “Have I been a little too serious these past few days? Do forgive me.” He opened his mouth and poured the last few leftovers into it. Chewed with gusto. “Although with your sister onboard, itʼs easier to lighten up,” he went on after. 

“Yeah?” Gladio grinned slightly. Iris would love to hear that, he thought. A change from the gray thoughts in her mind. She needed all the reminders of the good things she could get. “Sheʼd be glad to know that.”

Ignis nodded, tossing the empty container into the brown bag and taking the wrapped burger next. That was supposed to be Irisʼ, too, but she ordered the salmon with it and didnʼt have time for it before her emotions got the better of her. “Did you have a good time together?” He bit into the cold sandwich. 

Gladio nodded. “She…” He paused briefly, hearing her keening sobs again, remembering the tightness in his lungs when she gasped desperately for air in-between. The trickle of her tears on his chest as her lithe frame quaked in his arms. He looked down self-consciously to where his pendant hung, brushing at his skin in case it was still damp with her grief. “Well, I finally got her to cry.”

Ignis had been about to take his second bite when he stopped, prompting Gladio to talk on. 

He shook his head to reassure him. “It was just waiting to happen, but Iris is more stubborn than she looks. Thereʼs no way she would have allowed herself to cry in front of us, least of all around Talcott.” He shrugged. “Least it happened while I was still around for her.”

“A shoulder to cry on is always more healing than an empty room to scream in,” Ignis mused, finally taking that bite. 

Gladio smirked. “You can say that again, scholar.”

“Just an observation,” Ignis chuckled. “She feels better, then?” 

“I hope,” Gladio said, scratching his head a bit. “Sheʼs gone to her room to sleep.” Ignis nodded. “Noctʼs hanging out with Prompto, by the way.”

“Prompto did say that he was going to look into Noct. I see heʼs still awake.” 

“Ignis,” Gladio laughed quietly while the man chomped one half off his burger. “Cʼmon, you said so yourself. We gotta take care of each other.”

“And arenʼt you the one who always says we have an early start tomorrow?” 

“You’re never gonna let me win, are ya?”

Ignis laughed and shook his head, smiling as he chewed. Always thrilled to win in a match of wits. That was their tactician. There was ketchup on the corner of his lips. 

He looked so happy. At least he could still be happy. Gladio couldnʼt help but smile wider when he reached for the stain and told him, “Hold still. Youʼve got ketchup over here.”

Ignis did, still looking pleased while Gladio swiped it clean. 

Gladio licked it from his thumb. “Feeling better?”

Ignis nodded. “Perhaps it is simply because they are the original _Crowʼs Nest_ but,” he raised the last part of his burger, “this was very good, even when cold. Thank you for bringing it to me, Gladio.” Well, at least Gladio could still be good for this thing. 

He gestured to him with his two hands. “Anything for you, Ignis.”

Ignis nodded his thanks as he finished his dinner. “And you? Are you feeling better now, too?” He crumpled the paper and shot it in its bag. Funny Ignis should ask that. 

Gladioʼs hand moved instinctively to his guts, where it was exposed under his open jacket. There was a wry smile on his face, as if for Ignisʼ benefit. “Iʼm better but…my pride still stings a bit.”

Ignis exhaled quietly, looking off onto the wall. “That night…we prepared only to reclaim the Regalia but ended up having to fight off an entire army,” he reminded him. “No matter which way you put it, Lord Ravus had the upper hand. There would have been no way for him to overpower a man of your built like that if it had been on fairer grounds.”

“So what?” Gladio frowned, looking at the mess on the table. “Just because it ainʼt fair doesnʼt mean I should have let him treat me like I were a damn fly.”

“Gladio!”

“You heard what he said,” he muttered on, turning now to the slatted windows over his shoulder, looking out to the empty field beyond the outpost, “a weak Shield protects naught. You saw how that woman got through my defenses and attacked Noct.” 

Ignis let out a long huff. 

“I shouldnʼt be here if I canʼt even protect Noct from those imperial bullies,” Gladio went on with his disappointment. “Like I came out here, thinking I got what it takes to be Noctʼs Shield but they just keep pushinʼ me around. Dad said Iʼm smart enough to pick up whatever else I donʼt know but...” He shook his head, turning up his hands. “But what if Iʼm not yet ready?” What if he could never be ready? 

“…so you would rather gauge your strength according to the empireʼs words…than your actions when faced by the Archaean?”

Gladio turned to Ignis who waited for him to face him. 

“Lord Ravus and that woman are just mortal beings like you and I,” Ignis went on. “Who are they next to a god?”

Gladio frowned slightly. “If a battle with Titan was all it took, I should have been able to beat that treacherous bastard.”

“Things are rarely so simple these days,” Ignis said, rising from his comfortable chair to take one of Gladioʼs hands as he knelt near him. His grip was as sure as ever, and his eyes, as safe as a haven. “But none of this means that you are weak, Gladio. Noct being among us is the only proof we need to see that.”

Gladio shook his head. “Heʼs still hanging because heʼs gotten stronger since we left Insomnia.”

“And you think a weak man could have taught him that?”

Gladio finally snorted and smiled shyly at his show of faith, inviting a brighter look on Ignisʼ face. With a little tug, he brought the man up to his right leg, so Ignis could sit much easier. 

Then he pulled him close so he could wrap his arms around his slender form and press his nose at the crook of his neck, taking in his scent, catching it under the tangy fragrance of the convenience store soap. Like a souvenir to take with him. His own Shield. “Feels good to still be wanted,” he mumbled to his collar. 

He felt Ignis chuckling in his chest while he pressed his head close and planted a kiss on his hair. “Have faith in yourself,” his lover urged him. “Just as we all have faith in you.”

“Iʼll try,” Gladio responded. “But…my pride wonʼt let me forget it just like that, yʼknow?” His pride, his honor, his fears… 

Ignis laughed, pulling back so they could find each other again. He cupped Gladio around his face, brushed his hair back a little then traced the line of his scar, featherlight fingers falling upon his brows and the shape of his nose as he did so. 

“No one is asking you to forget,” Ignis added, thumb tracing his lower lip before Gladio caught his hand and pressed a kiss on its palm. “But I wish you wonʼt let that define you. Thatʼs not the way we see you.”

Gladio nodded, moving Ignisʼ hand under his jacket, so he could press it to his heart where maybe he could feel his affection through his muscle. Ignis smiled. “Iʼll try,” he promised again. Because Ignis asked. 

Ignis placed his lips on his forehead, and followed the kiss with one on Gladioʼs scar near his brow, another on the one across his cheek. 

He wouldnʼt have been able to stop Gladio from raising his face so he could take those lips on his own. A warm shiver ran down Gladioʼs arms when they parted their lips so knowingly for each other, so they could kiss more deeply. While Ignis pulled his hand from his heart so he could wrap his arms behind Gladioʼs nape. This was the part where Gladio normally pulled his shirt up from his trousers and spread his hand along his back but he had to stop himself. They couldnʼt do this with Noctis around and Prompto could be—

“Hey, Prompto, wait!!”

The voice came from just outside the door, sending a cold bucket down his spine. Ignis parted abruptly for him, staring wildly into his own wide eyes. 

“Hm? Noct, whatʼs up? Huh? Why are you crossing your arms at me and waving me over?” A pause. “Eh? Gladio? Heʼs what again?”

“Heʼs not in my room!!” A hissed shout. 

“Huh? So where could he…” A heartbeat and then: “Seriously, you think so?!” 

Gladio waited for Noctis to speak again, practically stretching his ears in the silence. When Ignis got up, he got up, too, and started quietly for the door and pressed his ear to the old wood. Near him, the door to the bathroom creaked close and he heard the water running. His hand moved slowly to the handle, twisting it carefully until it clicked. Then he pulled it, just far enough for the door to crack so he could take a peek. Old Lestallum was dim and empty except for a pair of travelers heading into _Crowʼs Nest_. 

He whistled in relief, pushing it shut again just as Ignis had left the bathroom. Gladio put on a little chuckle as he started back to Ignis sitting himself on the side of his bed. “Well, guess youʼre stuck with me.”

“I could think of worse people to be stuck with,” Ignis said, putting down a familiar-looking bottle on his side of the nightstand. That stopped him. He almost couldnʼt believe his eyes, but when he turned to Ignis, Ignis only placed his hands on his lap and looked up to him. Patient. 

And here he thought heʼd visited the bathroom to cool down. Turns out it was to prepare for something else. Gladio ran his fingers over his hair and figured Ignis wouldnʼt mind if he washed up a little himself. So he went in after locking the main door, switching off the ceiling lights on his way. He still remembered how Ignis liked it. 

Soon enough, he placed himself beside Ignis, searching his face, waiting for him to say more to him. 

“For the record, I didnʼt pack it,” Ignis began after a second. “Though itʼs the same brand and flavor…” Vanilla—his favorite. 

“Whereʼd you get it?”

“Lestallum,” Ignis answered. “Before we started off for Cape Caem. I…” He chuckled, almost embarrassed, while he adjusted his glasses over his eyes. “To be honest…I donʼt know why I got it. We both agreed not to do this but…”

With his naked left, he took hold of Ignisʼ closest hand to play with it. His leather bracer, he had already left by the sink in the bathroom. 

“But perhaps I am only thinking selfishly,” Ignis sighed, watching their fingers move with each other, “when I tell myself that comfort is in such short supply these days. But after all that has happened…and with the uncertainty of the present and the future…” He was the one saying all those brave words…how could Gladio have thought that he was the only one who needed a listening ear? “And with you here…and we were kissing like before and for a second, I feared that this rare moment could slip away just like that…”

“And you need a new one.” Gladio nodded out the window. “Doubt the one in your apartment would have survived the attack in the city.”

Ignis laughed suddenly, beaming a little wider. 

Gladio pressed his lips on his scalp, then whispered to him, “Take off your glasses and your shoes.”

Ignis turned to him slightly. “Gladio…despite who we are to each other, I donʼt want to force you simply because…simply because I want to do it,” he whispered back. 

“Itʼs just exactly what you said, though,” Gladio answered him, smiling on his ear between kisses. “Comfort is in such short supply these days. Reckon we ought to get some while we still can.”

Ignis didnʼt say more after that, taking his glasses off as he was told. Gladio didnʼt let his lover work in peace, scattering kisses over his brow and eye, along the line of his jaw while he restrained him gently with a hand on the other cheek. But when Ignis raised his foot to pull off the last sock, he captured his ankle so he could do it himself. 

“You should have come to me sooner, yʼknow?” Gladio said, looking at his loverʼs face while his thumbs pressed gently along his underfoot like a blind massage. “You know I would have said yes even if it was just for a quickie.”

“Please, as if I could impose myself on your busy schedule,” Ignis returned. “You’re always so occupied making the fire, honing that ridiculously fit body of yours,” Gladio laughed, “reading Henruit or those model magazines from the outposts.”

“You’re one to talk!” Gladio grinned. “Werenʼt you the one who forgot to eat because he was balancing the books? I saw you sleeping like this,” he demonstrated with his cheek on his fist and his eyes closed for a second, “through the window, while I was outside.”

“You have a very active imagination, Gladio.”

“For you? ‘course I do.” He shook his head. “But that wasnʼt an imagination. Iʼm not the one who needs glasses to see.”

“Oh indeed, letʼs pick on the guy with the glasses, shall we?” Ignis chided him with a sharp jab on his exposed abdomen. Gladio jumped with a quick cry, hand flying to his stab point. “And here Iʼd expected more from you.”

“Just stating the facts,” Gladio cackled. “Ask me why Iʼve never needed glasses—ah!”

Ignis had pinched him on his side and heʼd guarded too late. “You wonʼt stop, will you?” he threatened him between his teeth. He aimed at him again. 

This time, Gladio caught him with a clean grip, a quick right wrapping itself along his back before he pushed him down to his bed, pinning him with his weight, that offensive hand held down over his head. 

He smiled at his lover for his victory. “No, I wonʼt,” he said, then claimed his price by nipping at the skin under his jaw. He could feel Ignis tensing, craning his chin up while he pulled his right arm free and located Ignisʼ left nipple, rubbing it under the fabric. 

Ignis exhaled softly, pulling his chin to look down so that Gladio had to raise himself to let him watch him tease him. “Iʼve almost forgotten what this feels like,” he mumbled. 

“Hm?”

“Being loved by you.” Ignis combed his fingers over Gladioʼs hair again. “To be the center of your world. To feel like Iʼm the most desirable man in the whole of Eos. Such thoughts, theyʼre…” He shook his head, hand on Gladioʼs ear while he brushed his thumb over his thick brow. “Addictive,” he finished. “Flattering.”

“You wanted comfort,” Gladio smiled, “so youʼre getting it.”

“You could just cuddle with me and I would already have been comforted.”

Gladio chuckled. “You think thatʼs enough?” He stood up, then.

But only so he could get rid of his own footwear and carry Ignisʼ knees up to the bed, positioning himself between them. Ignis fixed himself on a pillow while Gladio undid the button of his loverʼs pants and pulled down his fly. With the back of a finger, he stroked the shape of his cock under his dark boxers. Ignisʼ hips tensed. “Weʼve tried it before—countless times. In my house, your apartments…but it never works.”

“Because your witty fingers always find their way under my pants.”

“And youʼre always wanting more,” Gladio chuckled. “And Iʼm always the generous type.”

“Generous?” Ignis squinted at him with a glint in his eyes. “Or greedy? For always getting what you want?”

“I thought we agreed that when it comes to you, itʼs a thin line?”

Ignis laughed under his breath, making Gladio smile. It always felt nice to make him laugh… 

“Wonder when weʼll get another time like this,” he thought out suddenly, his thumb now cresting the shape of Ignisʼ glans. “You know, me teasing you. Makinʼ you laugh. Feeling good. I used to take it for granted since we do it every week but…”

“Weʼve been on the road ever since,” Ignis connected, smiling at his lover. “And between our duties to the king, and our safety, it has been difficult to negotiate a little time for ourselves. But…” His thumb wandered to Gladioʼs stroking hand, tracing along the shape of his knuckles. “I am glad…for whatever time we are given tonight. I wish I could ask for more but I would rather not test fate.”

“Canʼt believe itʼs come to that,” Gladio laughed deeply. “Used to be if we just wanna have sex with each other, we just get dinner. But it feels like weʼll need some divine intervention now…” Idly, he departed from Ignisʼ manhood so he could raise his patterned shirt and stroke the shape of his navel. “Still, even with just…whatever power I got in my own hands…”

“Gladio…” Ignis sighed. 

“I wanna make this time happen,” Gladio finished, looking into Ignisʼ eyes as he spoke those words. “Tonight, and maybe another night. I wanna make as much time for the both of us as I can.”

“Not just you,” Ignis said to him. “I want that time with you, as well. We both need it.”

Gladio moved his arm instinctively when Ignis raised himself to sit up, putting it around his lover in a half-embrace and sinking to the pads of his feet so Ignis could reach his ear. 

And whisper, “And if you seek comfort, just come to me. Thereʼs no reason to stand alone to face your own doubts.” Ignis slipped his hands under Gladioʼs jacket and pushed it off his shoulders. Gladio pulled from his side until he could drop it on the floor and Ignis could touch his ink, running a thumb over the old scar on his Crestʼs neck. “Tested by the Hexatheon, though you were…tested by your own misgivings…and yet here you are, lending yourself to others while you wrestle with your own daemons.” Green eyes rose to see him, and he smiled, cupping Gladioʼs jaw, caressing the layer of hair over it. “And I will always admire that strength.”

“Ignis…”

Ignis silenced him with a finger on his lips, shaking his head. Then sealed his protest in with a loving kiss that Gladio received all too happily, moving his lips with the motions of it. 

He let Ignis take hold of his neck while his fingers wandered to the line of buttons fastening his shirt, undoing them starting from the top. Then from his sides, Gladio scaled him up to his chest and pressed his thumbs down his nipples, sending out a jolt and a startled moan that he felt in their kiss. Inviting him to rub them in circles until Ignis was whining between them. 

He had to laugh when Ignis inevitably broke from their lips, opening up his neck for Gladio to kiss again. “Still sensitive there, I see.”

“Only for you,” Ignis groaned, raking his fingers through Gladioʼs hair to grab onto them. “But perhaps itʼs been too long.”

Gladio grinned against his skin. “Better check if they still remember me, then.” He tapped on Ignisʼ fist to set him free so he could pull his shirt off. With his arm around his loverʼs waist, he guided him back down the bed, waiting until he was comfortable before he finally eased his boxers and pants through his legs. 

When he reached for the lube, Ignis captured his belt swiftly with his fingers and his left teat with his own mouth to kiss it. A startled shiver ran up and down Gladioʼs side when he jumped, fastening his fingers quickly over the bottle. 

“You almost made me drop it,” he laughed, grinning. But that was before Ignisʼ deft hand had finally found its way inside his briefs, and squeezed his fruits carefully. Something electric coursed along his flesh, coming through his lips in a deep groan. 

“Just sending my regards to some old friends myself,” Ignis smiled, massaging him lightly. Gladio had to carry his weight with both hands on the bed, one to each side of Ignisʼ pillow. “I have missed them, Gladio.”

“You missed them in your hand or inside you?”

Ignis laughed, painting his embarrassment obviously on his face with his grin. “May I take them in my mouth?”

“Tempting,” Gladio grunted, the tension by now weighing heavily on his thighs and his knees while Ignis kneaded him carefully on the base of his shaft, sending out pleasured tingles to his glans. “But I donʼt want this night to end with us just fucking each other.” He made sure he looked at Ignisʼ lush eyes when he said, “I want you—not just your mouth or your fingers.”

With another smile, Ignis nodded. “I suppose we best not waste the godsʼ gift to us.” They grinned at each other. 

Gladio almost regretted his words when Ignis let go, but he put it out of his mind. Filled it instead with Ignisʼ waiting cock, still soft, as he pushed down his own waistbands and kicked his clothes to the floor. Finally free. 

“Come to me, Gladio.” Ignis reached for him. 

“In a moment,” Gladio assured him with a smile. He popped the bottle open and spread a generous amount of lube on his fingers. “Need to prep you. We canʼt be too hasty.” How long has it been since they did this? 

Ignis nodded, taking back his hand while he spread himself wider. Gladio couldnʼt count the days in his head since they last found themselves like this. 

Since he found himself sighing, full of gratitude, as he caressed Ignisʼ thighs, feeling the muscles under his fingers. Strong and hard, though the man laid himself bare and helpless, with so much want to receive him. 

“You’re so beautiful, Ignis,” Gladio hissed, his cock twitching with excitement. Tonight, this man was going to be his again. Tonight, he would fill that mouth with his tongue and his name again. “Iʼm always surprised I can control myself around you when youʼre making me feel like a wild animal right now.”

“Imagine my plight whenever you take your shirt off in camp.”

Gladio guffawed suddenly, sharing Ignisʼ smile. He looked down to his open legs, nudging at his cock so he could press his soaked middle finger at Ignisʼ entrance gently, causing the man to stiffen just slightly with anticipation. “Have you touched yourself here?”

“Thereʼs been no time.” Ignis shook his head. “I donʼt like touching myself knowing that I will only be dissatisfied.”

“Let me, then.” Gladio hoped he sounded reassuring. “Iʼll be gentle.” He always was. Carefully, he pushed against Ignisʼ flesh until the tip of his finger had breached his walls. He stopped when Ignis gasped out a soft cry and squirmed. 

“Yes,” Ignis sighed, a little smile on his face as he watched Gladio between his legs. 

Gladio didnʼt push deeper until Ignis had calmed down, stopping every so often when Ignis tightened around him and whimpered but never waiting too long to venture further. Until he had finally buried himself to the knuckle and could twist his finger inside like a key. 

Ignis let out a happy sound, arching his back. He was getting warmer, just like that.

More exciting. Gladio took hold of his own cock and started stroking himself, in plain sight of his lover who watched. Ignis licked his own lips while he heaved at his fingerʼs ministrations inside him—rubbing and crooking itself, twisting and pulling back to push in. Ignis swallowed a moan, reaching down to find his own wanting cock. 

Gladio grinned at that. “Iʼve almost forgotten how I love watching you touch yourself. Especially when itʼs for me.”

“Only because youʼre taking your sweet time,” Ignis groaned. 

Gladio laughed, tracing his own slit, feeling the shiver around his ass. Ignis breathed out, putting his own thumb on his head. “I hear you loud and clear,” he assured him. 

He bent over and put his mouth on Ignisʼ, finding his tongue as soon as he was welcomed in. He pulled out his finger and pressed his thumb on Ignisʼ entrance to rub it, causing the man to whine tightly inside their shared space. 

Gladio didnʼt hide his delight for it, pulling back to plant little kisses on Ignisʼ lips, around it. Ignis sighed as he nipped at his lower lip, and smiled. “Feelinʼ good?”

Ignis opened his eyes to him as he nodded. He was already blushing. “Iʼm in my most favorite place in all of Eos.” Pinned under his lover. 

They shared another smile as they laughed, exchanging several brief kisses before Gladio nudged Ignisʼ chin up with his nose and placed a wet kiss just below his throat. While between him, he pried Ignis open again, and slipped through his pointing and his middle finger in one motion. 

“Gla—!” The rest of his exclamation came through in a sigh. He could feel him writhing and quivering from the inside. 

“Just relax,” Gladio muttered, too busy tasting the skin of his chest to speak louder. “You’re not yet quite soft. Donʼt wanna hurt you.” As his mouth found his right nipple, he looked up to Ignis to catch him watching. 

Ignis nodded before he even asked a question. 

Gladio smiled. Kept his eyes on Ignisʼ green ones when he spread his wet tongue over his ticklish teat and rubbed it. Ignis jumped and mewled. So deliciously.

He felt himself stirring again in his own hand, already damp between his fingers. He worked his shaft more slowly now, winding down to gentler, broader strokes while inside Ignis, he moved his fingers like they were a pair of frantic scissors. 

Between that, and the tip of his tongue swirling along his blushing nipple and his own hand touching himself, Ignis hadnʼt been still or quiet. Always squirming, always singing. 

Gladio made him cry when he started to suckle on his nipple. This time, Ignis brought his free hand up to the back of his neck and grasped him there, in case he had any bright ideas about stopping. His moan came out in a long note, and Gladio thought he was finally starting to relax down there. 

He pulled out, and used his damp hand to pinch Ignisʼ other nip, causing him to jump. He didnʼt know whether to moan or cry and it made Gladio giddy. 

He was chuckling again when he grinned at Ignis smiling blissfully at him. “Just a little more,” he promised him. He still wanted to play with his teats. He went back to suckling his favorite side while he twisted and pulled at the other. Ignis yelped this time, kicking. 

“Gladio!” Only Ignis could mix a moan into his snarl. And when he persisted with his deafness, still teasing his nipples, lapping at it in his wet mouth and squeezing it as if to milk it, he pleaded, voice cracking, “Gladio, please! I need you…!” The rest of his words flowed out in a wavering whimper that caused his flesh to ache. Like a teaser of what lied in wait for him that night. Gladio couldnʼt say no to that for long. 

He came up, then, and eased him with a kiss. Ignis grabbed his hair greedily, almost furiously, sucking at his mouth while Gladio took hold of himself again, this time to spread the lube along his erection. 

“Ready?” he breathed, parting briefly from the kiss. 

Ignis nodded, tracing his scar and the shapes of his nose and lips with his hands. “For you, always,” he sighed. 

His favorite words. Gladio sucked on his thumb along his lower lip, like a kiss for the road before he raised himself slightly and carried his rigid flesh closer to his lover. Ignis pulled his legs wide again. 

He slipped through with ease, taking a moment to soak up the liquid heat filling his belly, his own knees turning soft. Ignisʼ lips parted open as if to cry but only the softest noises came through his throat as his face twisted, first in pain and then in pleasure. 

Could there be anything more inviting? Gladio left little kisses along his cheek, watching him closely as he pushed deeper, his own want swelling more and more inside Ignisʼ tight walls, sending quakes along his pelvis. 

“Hold on to me,” he rasped, carrying one of Ignisʼ arms over his back. The look he was giving him with his green eyes, Gladio jumped when he thought it was the loving kind. 

With one final thrust, he buried himself fully, startling a cry from Ignisʼ chest before he pulled out and struck him again. Shuddering—heʼd almost forgotten why he was so obsessed with Ignisʼ body. Its physique, its tremors, its warm walls sucking him in, greedy with pleasure, and that sweet, sweet spot, waiting for him and only for him to pound it. Over and over. A secret world reserved only for his invasion. 

Ignis gasped out his name, wrapping his own legs around Gladioʼs waist to pull him closer while he swung back out and inside him. 

Panting to his ear, slipping his left arm under his waist to hold him close while between them, his right hand sought for Ignisʼ erection and stroked its length. This, this was his, too. Given to him by the man in his arm, who asked to be his. 

“ _Ha_ ,” another plea for breath, soft even as he arched himself sharply into Gladioʼs grasp. He stirred inside him and pushed himself harder. “Gladio…!” Long fingers fastened themselves onto his locks. Every angry smack of his hips to his ass was joined by the whining wood of the cheap bed. He couldnʼt believe they would actually come to a point where they had to meet in a motel just to fuck. 

“Here,” Gladio groaned, raising himself to face his lover as he drove into him, in time to watch Ignisʼ face pinch with passion. “Right here for you, Ignis,” he chuckled deeply. He would have brushed that handsome face if he had any hands for it. 

So he settled for touching their foreheads together, and sharing a smile when they started to laugh again before they kissed. Sweetly. With his eyes closed, and Ignis wrapping him with his taste and his desire, he could almost believe that they were back home all this time. Making silly love after a long day at work, without a care for what tomorrow might bring so long as they could have each other. 

They burned through the night like that—in each otherʼs arms and mouths, Gladio plowing into Ignis and filling the room with his cries and moans, the sound of their flesh meeting desperately in sharp strikes. Ignis, normally so rigid with duty, completely unwound and soft in his embrace and his walls. Flushed red and gapping with ecstasy as he pummeled him in a manic rhythm…

He would remember that look on his face when he finally came inside him—eyes half-closed as he bit his smile. And then the shape of his mouth as Gladio spent himself in his walls, mewling out in rising crescendos to Gladioʼs rapid thrusts. Until he came undone soon enough, hips jolting up in spasms, soaking their bellies and Gladioʼs digits with his warm seeds, singing out a catʼs plea. 

Ignis spent the last of his muscle strength to wrestle Gladio to lie next to him—so he could pull out with ease and they could chase each other with their mouths and their tongues. He still held him close, fingers digging greedily into the skin on his back. Or in pain, when Gladio embraced him tighter, his damp hand traveling lightly along the crack of his ass. They fell asleep that way, chest rising and falling in perfect synchronicity. 

When Gladio woke up, he was on his side and couldnʼt find Ignis with his eyes. He caught him instead by the ticklish kisses he was leaving on his back muscles and shoulders, like someone who was drawing a constellation of his wings. 

Ignis stopped and looked at him over his shoulder when he turned to search for him. “Oops,” he whispered without regrets, smiling. 

Gladio smiled back. 

Ignis carried himself up so that he could lie down before he kissed him, while Gladio buried his fingers in his damp locks. When they parted, it was only so they could smile at each other again. 

And so Ignis could climb over him and brush some displaced strands off Gladioʼs face. He sighed to them, “I wish we could make love with each other again. But the sunʼs about to come up, and we must be back on the road soon.”

“Makinʼ me miss home again. Used to be weʼd make love until the sun is high,” Gladio chuckled, weaving his fingers with Ignisʼ left so he could carry them both to his chest. Ignis sealed that with a kiss on his knuckle, as well. “But thank you, Ignis.”

Ignis looked up to him. “What for?” he asked, though he followed it quickly with a knowing grin. “For the great sex?” Gladio laughed despite Ignisʼ weight on top of him. 

“Donʼt forget, it takes two,” he snorted. “And it took me back home.” He put his hand over Ignisʼ cheek. Those green eyes sparkled when he tilted his face to his palm. “Reminded me why I canʼt just give up here and now. So thank you for that, too.”

Ignis nodded. “Iʼm glad,” he said. He ran his finger idly on the tip of Gladioʼs scar. “I suppose we both needed that, after all. I wanted the comfort of being in your arms. And you being inside me, putting me in a state of no control. To just receive without thought.”

“You really are stressed out, arenʼt you?”

“More than I realized,” Ignis admitted. “I certainly have my work cut out with all three of you.”

“That makes two of us,” Gladio snickered. 

They kissed again, before Ignis dove back down to his chest to rest his head upon it. Past him, through the open slats in their window, the skies were starting to turn pink. 

“Hey,” Gladio beckoned to his lover softly. “Dayʼs about to start. And itʼs gonna be another long one for us.” Despite that, he only carried his hand to Ignisʼ back, tracing the line of his spine lightly. 

Another sigh came shuddering out from Ignis. “Just a few more hours, Gladio,” he mumbled, burying his face on his pecs as if it were a pillow, sinking back into bliss. How could he have the heart to refuse? 

With a chuckle, Gladio nodded to his sleepy lover. “Okay,” he said.


	12. Chapter 12

Perhaps that night he spent with Ignis was supposed to make him more resolute to stay. If Ignis had known what had been in his mind these past few days, and maybe if Gladio knew him any less, he might have suspected his lover of employing sex to lure him to stay. But that wasnʼt what happened—on the contrary, it was because of their time together that he was determined more than ever to leave his friends. It was just a question now of whether or not he had the balls to actually follow through with his decision. Which he didnʼt, of course. 

Until last night, when Noctis determined that it was time for them to look into Monicaʼs lead about the mythril they needed to fix his fatherʼs boat for the trip to Altissia—one that will take them through the jaws of the empire once more. There was nothing pleasant about it. In fact the truth of it was that theyʼd been delaying it for about a week now since having arrived at Cape Caem after a day trip from Old Lestallum. But it was nothing they hadnʼt done before, and it had to be done. 

Gladio couldnʼt think of a worse time to leave his king, but he was fast running out of choices. If he was serious about protecting his king, then he had to commit. 

The night before they were bound to return to Cape Caem for good, following a series of hunts, errands, little favors and other loose ends to tie up before they left Lucis finally, Gladio stepped out of the tent while everyone else was asleep. The skies had cleared up, then—the heavy weather that had hounded them the entire day finally moving on to other regions of the land, leaving only the clean scent of a washed up world in its wake. 

Gladio breathed it in by the lungful, and let it out carefully through his pursed lips, hoping to still his thundering heart. He doubted it had worked but he had nothing else to do but to try. Heʼd already gone this far to back out. 

He slipped out his phone and tapped on a name that had been weighing down on him from his contact list. Put the device on his ear to wait for the ringing to end. 

“ _Gladiolus. Should I be surprised?_ ”

Gladio frowned. “Nah,” he mumbled. “Probably shouldnʼt be. We knew this was a long time cominʼ. Thanks for picking up my call, Marshal.”

“ _I was falling asleep, anyway,_ ” Cor replied. “ _So? Canʼt talk for too long._ ”

Gladio nodded. “Yeah, me, too.” His brows tightened again. “Marshal, I wanna do it. Iʼm ready to take the Trial of Gilgamesh.”

Silence on Corʼs end. And for a second there, Gladio thought that the man had completely fallen asleep or somehow even hung up on him. If he couldnʼt get through Cor, though, there was no way he would be able to access the Trial he needed. 

His heart started to drum with relief. Good, at least he tried—

“ _Very well,_ ” Cor finally came through. Warm relief turned to cold dread, its icy fingers stabbing his gullet. “ _Give me a day. Iʼll meet you in Taelpar Rest Area._ ” 

“Got it,” Gladio confirmed with a nod. “Thanks again.” So that was it. 

He may or may not have just signed his death warrant. Gladio ended the call and let out the breath heʼd been holding. He returned his phone to his pocket so he could hide his face behind clammy hands, pretend he didnʼt feel scared now. 

“You got this, Gladio,” he snarled within. “You got this.”

The stars were out in full tonight—somehow, even they looked brighter in the deep blue sky…or maybe it was the sky that looked cleaner. Gladio sniffled discreetly, stuffing his hands in his pockets. 

The tent flap swished open. Gladio turned with a start to see Noctis stumbling out, scratching at his bed head before he shuddered at the chilly breeze. A little smirk danced on his face when he realized this was a great opportunity to get some solo time with his liege. He still had a day to enjoy his friendsʼ company, he shouldnʼt waste it. 

Slapping him from the back, Gladio waited until a groggy Noctis noticed him before he snapped his fingers at his face.

—

The next day came at them with a hazy heat that worsened by noon and lifted by dusk. Paired with no other than Cleigneʼs comfortable breeze, it was a two-hit combo. Gladio figured that if it werenʼt for the sleepy weather, they might have already reached the lighthouse by now.

Instead, they were making one more stop at the Leirity Seaside parking spot just at the shoulder of the road—one last detour before they finally made it to their secret home. Gladio stirred from his nap and pushed himself up in his seat. 

“Noct, do you mind if we take a short break here?”

“Mm, not at all. Everything all right, Ignis?”

“Just fine. But I thought we could use a little breather.”

“Sounds great!” Prompto cheered. 

The Regaliaʼs even purr slept easily. Noctis hopped off the side to stretch his legs and Prompto came soon after him, neither of them bothering with the triviality of how doors work. Gladio took a little more time to reacquaint himself with his physical form. He pulled a couple of tight stretches and deep groans before he got off himself, making good use of his door. 

Ignis sat back in the driverʼs seat, eyes closed, breathing evenly. 

Gladio clicked his tongue and sighed at the sight as he scratched at his windblown hair, a little oily from the day out. Reaching down Ignisʼ calf, he searched for the bootʼs lock somewhere by the door and pressed it open. 

That roused the man from his shuteye. “Gladio?” he mumbled. 

“Stay there,” Gladio stopped him just as he made for the back and pulled it up. “I got ya.” Inside, he unlocked the cooler, one of the last remnants of his home, and pulled out two bottles of water from the pool of melting ice. 

He cracked one open and handed it to Ignis who thanked him with a tired smile, showing his appreciation when he took a sip. “You should put a shirt on, by the way.”

“I donʼt wanna, itʼs already covered in sweat and grime,” Gladio complained, downing half the bottle while he rested a hand atop Ignisʼ door. “I donʼt like riding with the top down in a sweaty shirt, makes me chilly.”

“And I suppose riding with your nipples out solves the problem.” Ignis rolled his eyes. “Didnʼt you pack an extra shirt?” He drank down a mouthful. 

Gladio grinned at his nighttime lover. “I did but Iʼd hate for you to miss the show, wouldnʼt I?”

Ignis choked in his water and glared at Gladio while he laughed. He jabbed him on his abs for revenge. “If we were alone, I would pinch them ‘til they hurt.”

“If we were alone, Iʼd have poured your water all over me for you to drink,” he countered despite the pain he nursed on his tummy. 

Ignis shot him a warning glance and shook his head. “Good thing we arenʼt.” He nodded to the seaside scenery beside them to indicate the two other passengers missing from the car. 

Gladio conceded with a smirk, raising his eyes to Prompto shooting with his camera again, and Noctis sitting on the rail, feet dangling out. The silhouette of a young man in peace. “Yeah,” he agreed. “Good thing we arenʼt. Think itʼll be a while before we catch the sunset like this again?”

Ignis turned to watch them both. By then, Prompto had convinced Noctis to swing back to the safer side so they could take a picture with the sea as the backdrop. “I hope not,” he replied, echoing Gladioʼs thoughts. Prompto swooned at the photo he took and showed it to the king, who was pleased with the result and shared a fist bump with his friend. Earlier that day, under the same sunlight, he had the same moment with Noctis.

—

They were in a field of blooming flowers along the Ravatoghan Trail where heʼd asked the king to pick a bouquet for his sister.

“And where the hell am I supposed to carry these in?”

“Got ya right here.”

It tickled him, watching Noctis struggle with the canvas wrap and the twine heʼd bought from the outpost to bind it in. Though not because he wanted to make fun of him but more because Noctis really gave it his best, and it was heartening to see the guy so bothered whenever his bouquet fell apart. 

Gladio had to grin when Noctis tested its weight and feel in his hands and gave it a satisfied smirk. The look of a man whoʼd conquered something. “Thanks, Noct.” He raised his forearm as he approached. “You’re a real champ.”

“Obviously,” Noctis replied, crossing his own arm over Gladioʼs. “You, though?”

“Hm?”

Noctis nodded back to the garden. “Not gonna get some for Ignis?”

Gladio snorted painfully at the hilarity of it, throwing his weight down in a full bowing swing. “ _Me?_ ” he cried, then laughed. “Seriously?!”

“Yeah?” Noctis shrugged, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. “I mean, donʼt you still like the guy?” Well, he did. 

He did, of course. Even after they called it quits and ventured into this…closed uncommitted relationship, he never lost a touch of his love for the man. In fact, the reason why he wasnʼt asking for more from him was because he didnʼt want to lose any more of what they had left. But he shouldnʼt go around confessing that just because it was apparently obvious, not when he and Ignis had agreed that that would only complicate matters. He just wanted to be with him, that was all. 

“Yeah, but,” Gladio scratched his head, “weʼre not exactly dating right now, yʼknow? King and country comes first.” Noctis bounced his head left and right. “Besides, I never really gave the guy flowers—not even when we became official.”

“Really?”

Gladio nodded. “I mean, the one time I did, it was because he asked me to buy mustard plants for Promptoʼs birthday.” Noctis let out a laugh. “Yeah, he was that kinda boyfriend.”

In the end, though, when Ignis saw the flowers Noctis had picked, he sent Gladio back for another handful of the blossoms. Turned out they were edible and, according to the chef, gave off a nutty flavor when heated in oil.

—

Prompto stumbled back to the car and leaned over while Ignis was lying back on his seat, sharing a smile with Gladio, a fresh bottle of water on the side of his face. “Ignis, you okay?”

“Yes,” Ignis assured him, turning that smile to the blinking man. “Perhaps it is simply the heat and the long day.”

“Donʼt forget, you also got poisoned and didnʼt realize it ‘cause you were too busy showing off,” Gladio chided him. 

Ignis sighed, turning to cast a tired look at him. “Gladio, Iʼve already taken an antidote.”

“Could have taken it sooner.” He clicked his tongue, just as Noctis finally joined them. “Noct,” he nodded to the man, “wanna get his hands off the wheel?” 

“Yeah, Noct!” Prompto chimed in, nudging the king. “Like, Iʼd raise my hand to volunteer but you remember what happened the last time I drove, right?” Their kingly car broke down shortly before they hit Hammerhead which, for a man born not in royalty or the service of it, could get quite traumatic. 

“Uh, o, okay,” Noctis accepted easily enough but that was the reason behind springing the question to him in surprise. Still, from his spot next to Prompto, he braced his elbows on the side for a closer inspection on the frowning Ignis. “Yeah, look,” he pointed at their driver, “you canʼt even see straight anymore.” That was another gay joke. 

Ignis let out the most eloquent, “Ha. Ha. Ha!” that Gladio had ever heard before he pitched the cap of his new bottle at the kingʼs face. Gladio and Prompto laughed thoroughly, though. “Very well, if it will stop you from making these lame jokes.”

Gladio opened the door for him and helped him onto the backseat. They all hopped in after, pulling the doors with them. 

He could never have expected Ignis to put his head on his shoulder when Noctis restarted the car, but Gladio wasnʼt going to pretend he didnʼt like that. With a satisfied smirk, he shifted a little higher up his seat to give Ignis a more comfortable height, to which his lover snuggled closer. 

“Hey, Gladio,” Noctis barked, jabbing a warning finger at the rear view mirror when Gladio looked up. “Hands where I can see them!” Prompto cracked up. 

“Eyes on the road, Noct,” Ignis rebutted, chuckling as he closed his own. Gladio shrugged triumphantly with his free shoulder while Noctis rolled his eyes, waited for a car to pass, before he merged. 

This was the boldest Ignis had been about their relationship since they rekindled some parts of it, and Gladio would be an idiot to lose this opportunity. He slipped off his left bracer, and pulled out Ignisʼ right glove, as well. 

Their fingers knitted together knowingly as soon as they felt each otherʼs skin. Gladio wished he could lay a kiss on their joint fist but that would be too much, given the circumstances. 

So he contented himself with Ignisʼ weight on his side and in his hand, leaning back to enjoy the purple twilight skies that followed the setting sun.

—

Noctis handed the flowers to Iris as soon as theyʼd met inside the old house, while Ignis shared the same gift to Monica as they put together tonightʼs dinner. It would be the last feast Gladio might enjoy in a while.

Or at all, if things went south very fast tomorrow. 

Gladio lingered in the company of his friends for as long as he could, drinking beer, picking on finger food, plate after plate… 

He made for the bed before long, but had to get up in the middle of the night to relieve himself of all the cans he had drunk. 

Worst decision—now that he was up, he found it difficult to shut his mind. He had a big day tomorrow…today. This morning… 

He sighed, getting up to sit on his bed in the middle of the room. Checked the time and saw that he had quite a few more hours to burn before he went off for the Taelpar Rest Area. Great, now what to do…

Without a plan in mind he put on his shoes, a shirt and a jacket and started out the dark room. Stopped by Ignisʼ bed to remove his glasses from his sleeping face and his phone from his hand to put them beside him. Must have passed out while he was reading, he thought. 

Outside, the night was colder and the wind much brisker—not exactly the kind of company heʼd like to spend darkness in but at least they still had enough lights to keep the daemons at bay. The problem now, though, was that there was barely anything in that place that wasnʼt dirt, stone or leaves. Even the farm hadnʼt been worked on yet, and the only other two spots he could go to were Jaredʼs tombstone and the lighthouse. 

He paid his respects to his long-time chamberlain, touching the stone fondly as he would his old friend, before he made his way up the inoperable tower. It was a little harder finding his way in there with only a small light to see by, but he managed to get himself through the lift doors and up the lookout safely. 

Out there, the world at night seemed so much brighter, and Gladio couldnʼt help but sigh in wonder as he walked out. This was the beauty of the natural world asleep; on one side of the balcony, there was the sea, peaceful and sparkling under the full moonlight. On the other was Lucisʼ land, or what used to be theirs, dark and mysterious except for several golden and white lights like lines and clusters of stars in the deep night. He could see Lestallum from where he stood, and could follow the ropeway maintenance stations from there. If the Crown City were only still alive, then… 

Gladio paused his mourning thoughts, frowning at the old rail in his hands. If the Crown City were still alive, they wouldnʼt be out here, crying bloody vengeance for the home and the people that were stolen from them. If Insomnia were still around, he wouldnʼt be spending…what could possibly be his last night in this world up there, alone. Maybe he would be with Ignis in his bed, or with Iris, sneaking ice cream with her. Or in the training room, working up a sweat. Any of those would have been more preferable to this, but he wouldnʼt be choosy with what he had. 

His phone shook in muted vibrations. Must be the marshal, he thought as he pulled it out, checking in on him. 

_May I join you?_ Ignis asked. 

“Ignis?” How did that guy know he was up here? Gladio searched for him in the darkness until he caught a white spot, blinking in three beats. Like something that might come from the flashlight app of a phone. 

_Sure. Cold up here, though,_ he replied. 

Gladio made sure Ignis saw him the moment he came rattling up. He had on one of Noctisʼ jackets that looked a size too small for him but otherwise served well to keep him warm. 

“I followed you,” Ignis explained as he stepped out of their embrace. “I woke up when you took off my glasses and waited until you were out of the house before I left.” Even in the dark, he could see those green eyes shining softly when they looked at him—though maybe that was because he knew what to look for. “I didnʼt want to interrupt any thoughts you may be having.”

“Funny,” Gladio chuckled. “I was just thinking about how it would have been better to be in bed with you than up here, freezing my ass alone.”

Ignis joined him with a smile, breathing out as he wrapped his arms around him again, laying his head on his shoulder. “Poor Gladio,” he muttered. 

For a time, that was all they did—hug and sway in each otherʼs arms, sharing their heat. Gladio tightened his grip around Ignis as he pressed his lips and his nose on his soft hair, breathing in his scent, something to take with him to the Trial. Or maybe whatever kind of life awaited him there. 

That was enough to tell Ignis that something _was_ wrong, though. He broke the embrace so he could put his hands on each of his cheek, fingers along those well-loved features of his face—his scar, his lips, the crest of his cheekbone. 

“Whatʼs on your mind, then?” he whispered, just audible enough over the wind. 

Gladio let out a careful breath through his nose, taking one of those hands to press it on his chest. “I gotta go somewhere tomorrow.”

Ignis nodded. “Best be on our way early, then—”

“Alone.”

Something changed in Ignisʼ eyes, then, brows quivering as they searched for Gladioʼs meaning in his face. Both wanting to know and wanting to respect his solitude. Gladio brushed his thumb over his cheek. 

“Will you be gone long?”

“Just a quick trip,” Gladio answered. Hopefully. If things go well. “Thereʼs just…something I gotta do. For myself. And for Noct.”

Ignis nodded, eyes falling now to their hands on his chest. “How far will you have to go?”

“Shouldnʼt take me a day.”

“Iʼll pack you some snacks, then.”

“Ignis,” Gladio shook his head, “Iʼll be fine. Iʼll take care of that on my own.”

“It isnʼt as if youʼre leaving us for good, Gladio,” Ignis persisted, frowning slightly. Is it? “Thereʼll be too much food for us without you. And I wonʼt want to deal with leftovers when you arenʼt there to finish them.”

“Hey…”

“Just let me do this for you,” Ignis continued. “I wonʼt ask you what it is you wish to do but at least let me send you off with something. From myself and from all of us.”

Well, heʼll need all the blessings he could get away with, anyway. “Okay,” he conceded softly. “Iʼll take ‘em.” 

“Good.” Ignis nodded, brushing his face again. 

“Iʼll take a kiss now, too. If thatʼs okay,” Gladio added quickly with a smile that he hoped looked cute. 

But for however it turned out, it made Ignis laugh and smile. “Of course,” he said, parting his lips to receive Gladio. 

They pulled at each other, Gladio pushing down on his lover to feel his heat and his force as he pushed back. Whatever happened to him come the day, he would at least have this kiss to go with him, he thought. 

If it should ever end poorly for him, he wished this was the last memory he would go with.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey hey hey! just a little heads up, i added _consent issues_ to the tags!

_Before you head into the Tempering Grounds, Gladiolus,_ he humored himself back then, _think of how you wanna go out and stick to that plan._

Come out victorious, a look of awe and pride in Corʼs face. Rejoin his friends…maybe at a time when they needed him most to turn the table in the battlefield because why not? That would be a cool entrance. Gain their admiration and trust for proving himself as a true Kingʼs Shield. Surprise Iris with a treat and chat with her for hours. Then maybe later, spend the night in Ignisʼ bed making love to him. 

None of that was what had happened. Cor welcomed him back to the living only with relief in his face. There was no desperate battle to turn, just a lucky hunt that reunited him with his friends by chance. Iris surprised him instead by being in Lestallum with Dustin. And then he couldnʼt even get himself up for Ignis because all that fighting—in the Trial, getting himself to Lestallum, the hunt itself—had worn him down and there was nothing he wanted more than to sleep on a real bed. 

Days had passed since. Since…all of this began. Now he was back in Cape Caem, and they were having a little party of sorts to send off the four of them to Altissia. Cid had set up a grill outside which Dustin, Monica and Ignis manned in turns. Cor arrived shortly after dinner started, though both he and Cid disappeared into the lighthouse before long. They bore bottles of beer, and plates of barbecued meat, grilled vegetables and some buttered fish from Noctisʼ catch. 

Gladio hung out with the rest of his friends by the dining table, sitting next to Prompto so that Noctis was diagonal to him and Talcott was just across. The kid was always so excited to be so near the king, and His Majesty was always happy to indulge him, acting all cool and chill. 

He could never have expected the brat he was training so many years ago would one day grow up to be this…this kind young man who was down-to-earth…and funny. Still lazy and irritating and arrogant half the time but brave…so brave and full of heart. And spirit. 

Almost…almost like a real king. 

Noctis nodded at Talcott when the little boy asked to be excused so he could help Iris and Ignis set down the plates of fresh grill on the table. That left him no distractions, then, to notice Gladio watching him. 

“What is it?” There was impatience in his tone when he asked. 

Half a king but still completely a dick. Gladio snorted, smirking in bemusement. “Just never thought Iʼd see you play the cool uncle one day,” he lied. 

“Hey,” Noctis suddenly snapped in attention, eying Gladio with what was pretty much a threatened look, “Iʼm still too young to be an uncle!”

“Prince Noctis just turned to Uncle Noctis!” Prompto laughed. 

“Idiot, weʼre all uncles to Talcott,” Gladio snickered, putting his temple on his fist. “I remember being in the hospital when that kid was born.”

“Thatʼs you. Iʼm more like,” Noctis tossed his shoulders up, trying to act suave, “the cool brother.”

“ _Huh?_ ” Gladio laughed out in great barks just as Talcott returned to the table with Iris and Ignis. “I dunno, but as the only real big brother in this table, Iʼd say,” he leaned back, crossing his arms over his shirt, “Talcott deserves better.”

“Eh?” Talcott turned confused eyes to the King and his Shield as he reclaimed his rightful throne next to his liege. “Me?” Iris sat down next to him, facing Ignis beside Gladio. 

Noctis clicked his tongue, shaking his head in full disappointment at his servant. “How about you donʼt speak for the kid, huh? Talcott,” he turned to the wide-eyed boy who didnʼt know whether to be worried or giddy for the attention, “which of us is cooler? Big Brother Noct or Uncle Gladio?” The panic was instantly visible on Talcottʼs face and posture—like a kid being asked to choose between ice cream and cake. 

“Hey, cut that out! Canʼt you see the kidʼs having a hard time?” Gladio reached for a stick of meat, then, and started pulling out the pieces onto Talcottʼs plate with a fork. “Here, Talcott, you donʼt like eating ‘em on the stick, right? Let Big Brother Gladio do it for you.”

“Hey, thatʼs cheating!”

“Really, you two! Canʼt you let Talcott decide in peace?” Iris heaved out in exasperation before she soothed the excited boy with a hand on his back. “Talcott, donʼt let Gladdy bully you, okay?”

Gladio pointed accusingly at his sister. “Iris, youʼre supposed to be at my side!”

“It seems that the competition is stacked against you, Gladio,” Ignis noted with amusement. 

“So throw your lot at me!”

“Would you really insist I betray my king?”

“Mm, same,” Prompto rejoined them with meat in his mouth. “Noctʼs my best friend since high school so Iʼm gonna choose him.”

“You’re my favorite friend, Prompto.” Noctis raised a fist. 

“Riiight?” Prompto sang, bumping his onto Noctisʼ

—

Poor Talcott couldnʼt choose between the two of them and settled instead with choosing one trait from each that he admired. Iris and Prompto praised him for handling Noctis and Gladioʼs jealousy professionally. The competition having ended, dinner resumed.

“You look like you had fun there,” Ignis commented. 

Gladio found him walking up to his side from the direction of the house, hair down after having washed it in the shower. Gladio himself was just fresh from one—he liked to finish his business before Noctis hogged the bathroom for himself. Now he stood outside for a whiff of fresh air before he turned in, which was a habit heʼd been into since they left behind the Crown Cityʼs pollution. 

Gladio smiled and took him in his arm so they could look at the rustic house side by side. “After the Trial of Gilgamesh, I came to realize that there were a lot of things I could have regretted if Iʼd lost. You know, friends. Family.”

“The perfect cup of noodles.”

He grinned at Ignis who returned a secret knowing smile to that. “Yes, most especially that.” Ignis sighed, shaking his head. “I just wanna say that I did all that I could, you know? While I still could. I donʼt wanna see the day where Iʼm telling myself…that I wish I could have done more. I wish I could have been stronger, faster.” 

“Would that be why youʼve been watching Noct…more often these past few days?”

“Huh?” Gladio raised a brow at Ignis. That came out of nowhere. “Well, obviously, thatʼs me doing my job.” Also, that was a strange choice of words, coming from Ignis. “As his Shield, I gotta keep a close eye on the king. You know, watch his every move.”

“Well, as his adviser, I suppose it falls on me to tell you that the king himself has been complaining about your um…” Ignis nudged his glasses back. “Constant vigilance.”

“Huh?” A louder version of his confusion, this time. He stepped back to turn the same expression on his face to Ignis. “What do you mean heʼs complaining? Heʼs got a problem with my job?”

“He has a problem with the way you are doing it _since_ you came back from Gilgamesh,” Ignis explained. 

Ignis couldnʼt put that in plainer words even if he tried. In fact, he needed only to drop the name to tell Gladio what was happening. After he defeated Gilgamesh, the legendary Shield himself had sent him off with his blessing. That had been the proudest moment of his life, more than any he could ever think of. But when the high had passed and he came back to the words heʼd said, something started to bother Gladio. 

Something…something about his last words that went… _The Last King of Lucis is ill fit to fight without his Shield._

Last King…what did he mean by that? 

Days had passed since—and he could still hear it chanting in his head. Like a curse. 

“There is something, isnʼt it?” Ignis asked, bringing him out of his reverie. “I can tell by your silence.” He placed a hand on Gladioʼs chest. “And I doubt that it has anything to do with this.” His new scar. 

He remembered the first time Ignis had seen it, heʼd demanded to know what happened to it in cautious panic. It was the worst scar Gladio had ever gotten in his whole life—fat and ugly, streaking across his chest, stabbing his Crestʼs neck. The Crest that Ignis so loved. By now, Gladio had come to accept that scars were bound to be part and parcel of his job as a Shield. Stories of lessons learned and survived, medals of honor he should be proud of. 

So Ignis was right: that wasnʼt it. 

Gladio took his hand, his lips shifting into a distracted smile. Perhaps if theyʼd been alone, Ignis would touch his face, too, trace that new line across his forehead where Gilgamesh had nearly gotten him. But the house was still awake, so they had to be careful not to get carried away. Anytime now, they would be needed. 

“Ignis,” he began quietly, squeezing his loverʼs hand as he put it down between them. “W…when Gi—”

“Lord Gladiolus, Ignis!” That was Monica who called, looking out through the door. They dropped their hands in a heartbeat and stepped back a foot from each other. “Lady Iris has brought out the dessert she made.”

“Thank you, weʼll be along,” Ignis replied. Gladio offered his own smile as he waved to Monica, bowing as she went back in. 

Once they were alone again, he returned almost snappily to Gladio, and prompted him, “You were saying something before we were interrupted. What was it?”

But this time, Gladio only shook his head at his frowning lover. “Not here,” he explained. Too many people. If he should start again and they had been caught at the crucial part of his confession… 

Ignis sighed. He could see that he was schooling his disappointment from his face as he nodded. “I understand,” he forced it. Or at least heʼll try to understand, Gladio thought.

—

Dessert was a classic Iris No-Bake Cheesecake that brought everyone back to those casual gatherings in the Amicitia Household where she used to make it regularly. In no time, stories of the good old days of Insomnia swept over the table, bringing out long held tears from Monica, Dustin, and then Talcott who missed his grandfather terribly.

Gladio himself had stayed for seconds even though he was never a cheesecake kind of guy but he relished the reminder of home. Ignis enjoyed another slice for himself, complimenting Irisʼ improvement while Prompto asked for a third serving. “One last!” he promised, holding out his plate, much to Ignisʼ displeasure. 

Noctis, who once dominated the dinner table with his haughtiness, sat in deep silence now, scraping at the whipped cream on his plate idly while he looked up to their friends from time to time to smile and laugh. Among everyone, after all, he was the one who had the most right to miss his home. His kingdom. His birthright. 

Gladio only wished his last night in Lucis had ended on a good note for him. He should do something about this, he thought. Maybe goad him, or loudly offer to get some beer for everyone and drop his name. Something like that. He started to get up, then. 

Ignisʼ hand fell around his wrist and nudged him closer. “Pack some things for the night,” he whispered. “Meet me by the car.”

“You serious?” Gladio hissed back, staring incredulously at the man. It was late, the daemons were bound to be out by now. 

Ignis nodded, though. 

He got up, then, excusing himself from the table. Gladio stayed a little longer just to keep out of suspicions but soon followed suit, pointing out the time. In their dorm room, Ignis had just finished packing, clapping him briefly on his shoulder before he made his way down. 

By the time Gladio had stepped out of the house, Ignis was already at the porch, speaking briefly with Cor and Noctis, each with a bottle in hand. 

“How are you feeling now, Gladiolus?” Cor asked when he stood next to Ignis and bowed to the marshal in greeting. 

“Much better,” Gladio answered, smiling a little as Cor nodded shallowly in something of an approval. “Nothing a little R&R couldnʼt fix.” 

“Enjoy that youthful energy while you can,” Cor advised him with a friendly punch on his shoulder. “Itʼs a gift from the gods.”

“That coming from Cor the Immortal?” Gladio smirked. If he was immortal, after all, he should still have that youthfulness in him. 

Cor got the joke and nodded with the slightest bemused smile. 

“Well, weʼll be going now. Weʼll be back by early morning,” Ignis told them, bowing to Cor, “Marshal,” and then nodding to Noctis, “Noct.”

Noctis nodded back and raised his bottle to wave. 

Gladio followed closely, giving his own polite goodbyes but shortly after departing from the house, he turned back over his shoulder towards the king. 

Noctis only nodded again, as if in understanding, before he gestured for him to go with Ignis. He shouldnʼt leave his side just like this again… 

But maybe if there was ever a last chance to do it, this was it. While Cor, Monica and Dustin were around to help Prompto look after their king. Tomorrow, it would be a different story. 

Gladio nodded, then. He raised his hand and marched after Ignis.

—

Ignis drove with the lights ablaze and the Regalia roaring mildly. It would be troublesome if they got blocked by any daemons now, especially with the late kingʼs car, and there really was no time to spare. Gladio himself couldnʼt bare to be in it for too long—it was too quiet, and left him nothing to listen to but the sound of his own thoughts. In the dark, they echoed as if they came from deep within an ancient cave.

He switched on the radio before he could catch himself. Promptoʼs favorite song came on at the chorus. Ignis shot it an annoyed glance and cast the same ire at Gladio. 

But he ignored it and drove on, pressing on the gas, face pinched by his frown. 

By some miracle of the Astrals, they managed to make it to the seaside haven in one piece. Gladio got to work with the tent without a moment wasted, and with no grill and food to work on, Ignis was left to start the fire. 

Everything done in so little time. Without anyone to train, and unable to put his mind to reading, Gladio was left with nothing to do. 

Except to gaze up to the multitude of stars scattered over them like some heavenly net, promising a world beyond what he knew. A future as yet unwritten. Maybe Ignis was right to bring him out here. Take his mind off of the past and focus only on the present and what laid ahead. 

He breathed, taking in the crisp scent of the sea breeze, letting the sigh and crash of the waves fill his ears and his mind. Soothing. He told himself it would be soothing. That he was out there, in the real world. Outside of the Tempering Grounds and the ceaseless howling of its untamed ghosts, its chilling wind. That the voice was gone and would no longer damn his king. 

His king…oh gods, may they guide him to protect his king! His Noct… 

“So?” Ignis came through to rescue him from his spiraling thoughts again, slipping his arms around Gladioʼs waist to peer at him from the back. The smile that came on his face was automatic when he turned to his lover. “Weʼre alone now. And quite far from everyone.”

“Only if you were a lazy king who canʼt move without anyone carrying him around,” Gladio snickered to Ignisʼ amusement. 

He turned around, then, to be front to front with his lover, drawing him closer with his own loose embrace. So he could bring his lips to Ignisʼ left eye, the corner of it, the peak of his cheekbone while he carried his left palm to Ignisʼ other cheek. 

“Thatʼs perfect, then,” Ignis chuckled, relaxing under Gladioʼs constellation of kisses, though he didnʼt stay still for long and stepped back before Gladio could find his lips. 

He placed a finger over Gladioʼs, lush green eyes looking at him softly. Ignis slipped his hand over his bearded jaw next and traced his lower lip with his thumb. When they left, heʼd forgotten his driving gloves in their room. 

“Will you tell me what it is now, Gladio?” he asked quietly, keeping his eyes on him even when Gladioʼs fell when he was reminded of it. “Thereʼs no one here to hear it but me.” He was wrong, of course. 

Gladio was there to hear him say it, too. And that was what he was trying to escape. 

Still, he smiled—because what else could he do? And took Ignisʼ hand from his face to kiss its knuckles, because what else could he do to escape his lover when heʼd cornered him? 

“When Gilgamesh accepted my challenge on the bridge,” Gladio began, covering himself in a different story than what Ignis wanted, “he called me many things: that I was unworthy. Weak-willed. Afraid. Of myself and of him.”

“And what did you tell him?”

Gladio smiled wickedly. “That I knelt for no man,” he answered, even as his knees folded, and brought him down to Ignisʼ crotch. 

Ignis smiled almost kindly at his begging form. That hand that was on Gladioʼs back now played with the locks of his hair. “And what are you doing now?”

“Some men,” Gladio said, pulling at his belt, “just have power over me. And to them, I willingly submit.” He said submit—but he knew what he wanted to happen tonight. Knew where he wanted to escape to, who would protect him from his haunted blessing:

Ignis. His lover. And that sweet heat waiting within to be taken. 

Gladio didnʼt wait much longer to push down the bands of his bottoms, setting free that soft flesh that twitched as the sea breeze touched it. He graced it first with a loving kiss, from the base leading down to its head, then with a long tongue, he licked his way back up to the hilt. 

The first noise came through Ignisʼ throat. Gladio carried his waistbands lower to his calf so he could spread his legs wider. One of Ignisʼ hands had woven itself into his hair now, while the other pressed down heavily on his shoulder. Facing his cock, Gladio reached out with his tongue and teased his slit with some kitten-like laps. Ignis whined, shifting. 

Encouraging him to take his head into his lips and suck gently, the breadth of his hands climbing up the back of his thighs until they found his ass and squeezed his cheeks. He felt the shudder in his own lips while Ignis swallowed down a groan. He took in a little more of him now while he swirled his tongue around his head, kneading the muscles in his hands. 

“Gladio,” Ignis moaned, pleasure on his face as he watched his lover swallow him up to the middle of his shaft. “Oh, Gladio, youʼre so warm. And wet…” he sighed, starting to move his hips towards Gladioʼs face. 

He stilled himself, then, waiting to meet Ignis before he sucked his flesh. He tasted of salt, and the cleanness of a fresh shower. Gladio moaned as he took in more of his lover, sending a shiver straight up to the man that he pleased. While he glided his tongue along its girth, he opened up his own pants and pulled himself out of his briefs. Stroking himself though that did nothing well for his own breathing. 

When he couldnʼt take it anymore, he tapped Ignis on his ass and released his cock. It glistened with his spit now, pointing a little closer to his nose and probably feeling every breath he was gasping. Ignis massaged him idly at the back of his head, clearly pleased with the direction he was going. From the back of his pants, Gladio pulled out the bottle heʼd been carrying, pouring its content onto his hands. He had been lucky enough to have that afterthought earlier to stuff the lube in his pocket before he left the house. They hadnʼt planned on this but he was well aware of the stuff he and Ignis always got up to whenever they found some alone time. 

Like now. Gladio opened up his mouth, his tongue out, to ask for his cock again and received it so generously, sucking and tasting it as soon as heʼd wrapped his lips around it. Ignis hummed out softly in pleasure while he danced his hips and tightened his fingers around his hair. 

Arousing him. He took hold of his own flesh to pump himself, looking up to see Ignis watching him with his own bemused smirk. So handsome. 

He wiped that look off his face when he spat out his half-hard cock and went for his fruits, sucking at the seam with his tongue and his lips. That brought out a surprised cry from the pleasured man, his knees buckling, fingers pulling at his hair which only egged him on. His right hand, he ghosted it towards Ignisʼ ass.

Welcomed himself into its secret cavern with his middle finger. Ignis tightened around him angrily as he roared out in euphoria, thrilling Gladio all over. That was it, that was the sound he wanted to hear. 

He surprised himself with a laugh as he asked, “Too much?” But he knew how much Ignis loved these—to be taken from the front and the back. It fed into his sense of vanity to feel so wanted. He twisted his finger inside him. Ignis shuddered and ground himself into his hand in response. “Do you want me to fuck you?”

“What kind of a question is that?” Ignis snarled, spitting venom. 

“Then take off your clothes.”

Ignis stopped suddenly, staring at Gladio who kissed the base of his erection with a wet mouth. “What?” he asked to protest. “Here? Gladio, itʼs cold.” It _was_ cold. 

But Gladio wouldnʼt let that stop him. He needed this. “Better keep warm, then,” was all he said when he rose, taking one step closer to the half-naked Ignis who frowned at him closely. “Youʼll be hot when Iʼm inside you,” he whispered, couldnʼt even hide the fact that he was begging him to strip for him. “You know how it feels, yeah?”

“You lied to me, didnʼt you?”

Gladio froze at the accusation, staring at those green eyes glaring softly back at him. 

“What you said Gilgamesh told you, that wasnʼt what you wanted to tell me back in the house,” Ignis went on, laying on the guilt so smoothly like butter. “Whatever it is, itʼs still festering inside you.”

“Donʼt believe your man just wants to see you naked?” Gladio chuckled, trying still. 

“If I do as you say, will you tell me the truth?” But Ignis wouldnʼt be moved. Who was Gladio kidding? This was Ignis Scientia, sharper than any sword heʼd ever wielded. 

Shame-faced, Gladio turned away, the heat in his exposed cock fleeting with the cold. 

Ignis recaptured his attention with both hands on his face, redirecting it towards his. Gladio glared at his persistence but he only fought back with his own disappointment. “I will let you do as you please with me but only with the promise that you will entrust me with the truth.”

“Gods dammit, Ignis, this ainʼt a transaction!” Gladio growled, pushing back his lover as he stepped away. “I didnʼt come here so I could bully you into sex!”

“Then allow me to be the bully between us,” Ignis spat back, marching forward, a bit awkwardly with his pants down his knees. “But this has been going on for days and I will not stand still until I get to the bottom of this.” He took him by the cheeks again, and try as Gladio might, he couldnʼt bear to fight them off again. He didnʼt want to fight Ignis—he wanted his comfort. Needed it. “We are leaving for Altissia tomorrow. And I cannot bear to get on that boat with you like this…” He trailed off, looking down to Gladioʼs shirt, his nakedness. 

“In fact I cannot bear to see you like this, at all,” Ignis added, putting his hand on Gladioʼs chest, feeling his scar. “You are always so sure-footed. You bested Gilgamesh and came back to tell the tale.”

Gladio smirked wanly. “That supposed to get me back up and hard again?” Because he wasnʼt feeling all that victorious tonight. 

Ignis matched his look with a little more mischief. “Have you ever known me to stop until I got what I wanted?” That was an answer inasmuch as it was a question. “Might as well have some fun while youʼre at it, hm?” He talked good sense, of course. He always did. 

Gladio brought himself chest-to-chest with Ignis, so they could wrap their arms around each other, feel the heat of their cocks brushing against their skin. Already, a little shudder crawled up to his back from that slight contact alone. He wanted this—the promise of Ignisʼ world hiding him from Gilgameshʼs curse. 

When he parted his lips and reached with his tongue out, Ignis seized him before he could change his mind—and that was it. The rabbit hole leading him down to his fire, the warmth flooding his chest, stirring a heavy ache in his cock. He wanted this. He told himself he needed this to shut off his mind, bring him back out of his own Tempering Grounds. 

He broke from Ignis sooner, before he lost his breath. He still wanted to have enough to suck on the skin of his loverʼs neck, sending down a shiver on the moaning Ignis, one that he felt around their cocks. He pulled him tighter towards him, keeping his sleek hands off his still-clean shirt while he was at it. He knew how prissy he was about these things. 

That made Ignis laugh, and what a thrill it was to hear. Another warm tremor shot through his limbs, exciting him. He wanted to hear more. 

“Gods,” Gladio sighed, tugging at Ignisʼ earlobe lightly with his teeth. “Please let me hear more.”

“Well, you know where to get more of that, donʼt you?” Ignis muttered through his breath. 

Just before he nudged Gladio back so his fingers could find some room to work around his buttons. Gladio couldnʼt believe how parched that left him, swallowing his spit and flicking his tongue along his lips as he watched with stirring impatience. 

He couldnʼt believe his relief when he saw the fabric fall back from Ignisʼ navel. Practically felt like a barbarian when he pulled him back with his arms so he could seize his right nipple like a hungry babe. Ignis cried and laughed again, massaging a nauseous circle at the top of his head. “You really want it,” he groaned his observation, grinding his hips towards Gladio to tease them both. 

“I really need it,” Gladio rasped, turning dazed eyes up to his lover. He felt so blessed by the gods when Ignis smiled and nodded. 

“Let go of me so I can lie down,” Ignis ordered. He obeyed. Felt a little embarrassed with how heavy and vulgar he felt between his legs when Ignis moved so lightly despite his own disheveled appearance. Then again, there was nothing to be ashamed about the curves of his ass and his waist, the breadth of his shoulders and his chest. 

He slipped off his shirt and stepped off the rest of his clothes which he used to pin down his top before it was blown away. Completely naked now, Ignis crossed his arms when a brisk wind blew past them. Gladio took a step towards him, ready to take him in his arms. 

“Hurry up and take your clothes off before I freeze here,” Ignis stuttered, finding a place near the fire to lie down on. He groaned just as Gladio pulled at his shirt with some urgency. “Oh, that feels better.” He slipped his glasses off and set it neatly aside, as though he was in his room back in the Crown City. 

Gladio was on his knees between his legs soon enough, putting the cold ground off his mind as he slathered more lube onto his hand. Theyʼd done this before, and he always looked back to that night Ignis took him under the stars so fondly. Innocent times, they were. Everyone still alive, his king undamned. “Better than this?” he asked, mostly to prompt him while he pushed at his entrance gently with the tip of his middle finger again. 

Ignis smiled at him, the look of a man waiting to be impressed. “Not nearly enough,” he goaded him. Talk about a turn on. 

Gladio couldnʼt stop himself from smiling brightly and even laughing. Typical Ignis. He raised a long leg over his left shoulder, kissing the fold of its knee before he pierced Ignis slowly with two fingers crossed together. That sent out a shock and a scream from Ignis who jumped with his back and his hips. 

“Gladio!” he growled, pulling his other leg back to himself just to open up wider for his guests. “A little warning?!” Gladio couldnʼt confess that this was only stroking his mood, though. 

“I thought you were up for a challenge,” he teased, moving that other leg atop his last shoulder. 

Ignis gave him a withering look. “You can be a giant prick when you put your mind to it.” Gladio laughed out brightly while he threw his head back and let out the rest of his groan after heʼd just buried his fingers to the last knuckle. 

“Your ass likes me, though.” More teasing while he twisted his fingers carefully inside Ignisʼ walls. 

Ignis hissed, clenching around his fingers, trying to grind into them, “When has it never?” Gods, Ignis was driving him crazy tonight. 

Gladio couldnʼt remember if heʼd been in such a good mood this late. While he worked Ignis loose with his fingers, he shifted backwards on his knees so he could hover just above Ignisʼ stiff cock. “Cross your legs behind my neck.”

“What?” Despite that, Ignis obeyed him. “What are you—”

He didnʼt get to finish his question when Gladio swallowed his cock and sucked it, harder than when he did earlier. The effect was a loud howl from his lover, followed by a weaker moan ringing sharply in the night air. Gladio felt warm and heavy between his legs. 

When he touched himself, he could feel the first bud of pre-cum leaking from his aching slit. He spread it over him, coating himself with more lubrication from his hand. Inside Ignis, he untwisted his fingers and parted them slowly, all while he was blowing his cock and running his tongue on the sensitive underside. 

He paid for that dearly. Ignis yelped and pulled him tighter with his titanium legs, sending his cock straight to the back of his throat. Gladio choked; theyʼd talked about this before—just like Ignis, he disliked being deep throated by his partners, one of those happy discoveries they made about each other before they started dating. Still, some accidents were bound to happen and he just took it as a sign that Ignis was feeling very good tonight. 

Still uncomfortable. It wasnʼt easy breaking past Ignisʼ writhing desire but his back muscles had made it possible for him to regain some breathing room for himself when he raised his shoulders. Even Ignis was chasing his own air, grasping at the rock on which he laid in search of a pillow as he moaned Gladioʼs name. 

Making him smile with the cock still in his mouth. He would never get tired of hearing his name in that voice. Or seeing his long figure squirm for him. This—this was what he needed. Comfort. Desire. A distraction— _Ignis._

Ignisʼ cock stood proudly after Gladio had done his work on it. He smiled at the man breathing out in relief as he looked down at him between his legs. He reached with his hands to him. 

Gladio crawled close enough for those fingers to find his hair again, but stopped to meet his nipples, suckling first on his favorite side, and then the other when he removed his left hand from around his erection to rub and pinch at the soaked teat. Ignis breathed hard again, writhing slightly under him as they watched each other. Tugging at his hair, wetting his lips with a quick tongue. 

He smiled again, opening his mouth briefly to give Ignis a show of how lewdly he was moving his tongue around his toy. Ignis gurgled his ecstasy, trying to raise his chest if that would keep his tongue connected to it. 

It made Gladio laugh—Ignis never liked to leave his demands ambiguous. But he wouldnʼt obey just now—his cock was already driving him wild and if he didnʼt do anything with it, they might both be sorry for it. With Ignisʼ legs still over his shoulders, he carried himself higher and closer to a wide-eyed Ignis until they were practically face-to-face with each other. 

“Gladio?”

Bringing the tip of his swollen cock to Ignisʼ gates, and through it in one sure swing of his ass. He slammed right to the hilt, the heat bursting all over him and sending lavas down his heels. He suddenly forgot how cold it was. 

And Ignis forgot how to scream even with his mouth thrown wide open. Gladio pulled back and slammed right into him, once and another until the stunned Ignis remembered how to work his voice in a song, head lolling sideways. 

“You wanted to say something?” he rasped, sliding back and charging in again. Ignis coughed, trying to tighten his legs around him. “Was it something about this?” He drove deep into him again, twitching at his liquid heat. 

Finally, Ignis cried out a, “Yes!” grasping for purchase first at his legs and then at Gladioʼs back and then his arms and his large hands which found themselves on Ignisʼ shoulders. “More,” he groaned, grinding at Gladioʼs cock while it was still inside him. “Gods, give me more.”

“Then I better hear you screaming.”

“Yes,” Ignis promised him with desperate nods. “Gods above, yes.”

He made true with his promise with the first thrust, and then the next, letting out his pleasure in what might possibly be the most vulgar way he could manage. Music to Gladioʼs ear. His heart was pounding, and he rammed right into Ignis again, one after another, trying to chase those ecstatic yelps that rang out in urgent measures. 

“Gladio…oh, Gladio!” he pleaded, trembling around his hips as Gladio picked up the pace, sliding in and out of his sleek ass smoothly. “Donʼt stop…please donʼt stop…!”

“With you stretched out like this?” Gladio tried to laugh but it was getting hard even just to breathe, pressed down onto Ignisʼ legs and chest as he was, a burning furnace gutting him. “Makinʼ me feel at home with your ass? I wouldnʼt dream of it.” He pounded him for three slow beats, each one of them bringing out a cry, one louder than the last, from his lover before he went back to shorter, faster thrusts, the slaps and squelches of their meeting asses mixing together. 

Ignis drawled out a long moan, voice breaking for every time Gladioʼs head smacked into his prostate. His struggles were starting to flag, and despite Gladioʼs warning, heʼd fallen quiet except for a few songs and grunts. If they kept this up, he was going to come and that would be the end of it. Gladio wasnʼt yet ready—not when they still had an entire night to burn. He didnʼt want to go back to the Tempering Grounds, to the curse on Noctisʼ head. 

Gladio couldnʼt believe the whine and snarl that fought through Ignisʼ gritted teeth when he actually stopped hammering him and carried his legs off his worn shoulders. His pelvis burned, his back itself protested when he straightened up a little, bringing out a deep groan from him. 

“Gladio!” Ignis snarled in impatience, arching his hips into him. Gladio controlled him with a pinch on his left teat, startling the man who yelped at the sudden pain and turned to his side to nurse his nipple with a hand. 

“You told me you would do whatever I said,” he rumbled, though it wasnʼt so much that Gladio was displeased by Ignisʼ behavior but gods, it was hard to breathe after that tight position and all that thrusting. Add to that his hard cock, ready to burst inside Ignis… “Get on top of me.”

Ignis scowled at him openly—the man did like to be pampered during sex and that included guarding his rightful place underneath Gladio jealously. It was just one of those things that tickled him about his lover. 

He wouldnʼt have it tonight, though. Gladio offered his hand to him. “Now,” he said, “or I finish you off with my finger.” Nothing could possibly be worse than that for Ignis. 

So with a snarl, he secured his legs around Gladioʼs waist and wrapped his arm around his outstretched one so Gladio could pull him safely as he fell to his back. 

Ignis gasped tightly again as soon as heʼd mounted him—kneeling over Gladio with his cock buried inside him, after all, brought his prostate that much closer to his rock-hard glans. 

Gladio grinned sloppily on the ground. “Feels good, doesnʼt it?” He reached for Ignisʼ left teat again but only to trace the ring of his areola lovingly, as if in apology for what heʼd done. Dissatisfied, he reached out with his other hand and pressed both nipples before he rubbed them in circles. He felt Ignisʼ shudder racing down through his cock, stirring him again. 

Ignis moaned, hanging back his head while Gladio played with his erect buds. His hands rested heavily on his shoulders, trying to get a grip of his own arousal.

Gladio chuckled, running his sleek hands down to his waist and up again to his chest to flick at his nipples. Ignis stirred and tightened, trembling inside him, spitting pre-cum at Gladioʼs belly where it rested like a hot steel rod. “You’re so fucking sexy, Ignis,” he breathed. He watched his flat belly rolling as he heaved for air. “The gods had me in mind when you were created in their image.”

Ignis laughed suddenly, grinning down at his lover who trailed his hand down to his hard thighs. “Think I was made for pleasing you?”

“I think you were made for many amazing things, Ignis,” Gladio sighed, kneading slow circles on his knees. “I was just lucky to be one of them.” That was one other thing he liked to stroke about Ignis: his ego. 

Because it graced him with the happiest smile he would ever see. And rewarded him with a deep, sensual kiss as Ignis leaned down, their tongues wrapping around each other possessively before their mouths met. 

It was in this way that Ignis gyrated his hips, humming in delight between their kiss as he did it again, digging deeply into Gladio who stirred and grunted hard at his ministrations. His hands found themselves sliding down to the ugly scar on Gladioʼs chest. 

They were still a little fresh, making them sensitive enough to be ticklish and causing him to jump a bit inside Ignis and twitch. He was ready to come but he didnʼt want to. The way Gladio guarded himself, it almost seemed as if he was protecting a secret weapon. 

Ignis pulled himself back up with a loud gasp for air. Gladio reached up quickly to his elbows in a bid to steady him but the man seemed to have regained his rhythm quickly enough when he rolled his hips, licking his lips with a sweet moan. 

Gladio chuckled, watching him relish the heat though it only made him suffer with his stiffness. He felt so damp between them and he couldnʼt tell if it was because of the lube or if heʼd already come without knowing it. 

“Do it again,” he said, so Ignis did, rolling his hips in a wider circle that pulled and sucked at Gladioʼs erection inside him. “Again,” he growled, taking hold of his desire before it took hold of him. “Show me how much you want me. I want to see you desperate for my cock.”

Ignis could barely speak beyond a whine now, himself too crazed by his own arousal. He rolled his hips, rocked forward, whatever tightened his grasp on Gladioʼs flesh though he was already quite soft inside. Gladio raised his knees to give Ignis a little more support from the back, taking those teats under his thumbs again so he could give them a frantic massage. 

The effect it had on Ignis was electric, his blushing face constrained with pleasure while his mouth worked out bits and pieces of his own moaning song. He looked dazed when he searched for Gladioʼs hands and wrapped his fingers around his wrists like a tether. 

Just before he lifted his hips and sank it flush back down Gladioʼs, meeting his head with his prostate. Gladio could practically feel the jolt running down his cock and Ignisʼ thighs, leaving him breathless for a heartbeat. 

Ignis did it again, pushing up with his thighs and down again, rising then falling one breath after another. Between the heat in his walls and the pressure deep inside him, Ignis looked like he couldnʼt get enough of it. 

Moving faster, climbing higher so he could drop harder, each meeting marked by a triumphant gasp and a blissful song ringing out of his mouth. Gladio kept a tight grip on his sides when it looked like Ignis might swoon and faint from the ecstasy but he held on, boosting and grinding himself in quick successions, a steadfast animal of his ecstasy. A tight coil lashed around his groin. 

Beautiful, Gladio thought again. Erotic, as he watched Ignisʼ heavy cock smacking on his belly while the man bounced himself on his abs, grasping tightly still on those hands that held his sensitive nipples captive. When Ignis whined, it sounded like a plea to himself to keep riding, to keep chasing that high until he was gasping, and groaning out in a long begging note. 

“Gladio,” he pleaded, head hanging back with euphoria painted on his face. “ _Gladio!_ ” he screamed. 

That was the last warning before Gladio felt him spasm and burst all over him, warm seeds spurting out on his belly and his chest. That pearl on his face, he cleaned up with a flick of his tongue. Salty. Ignis. 

He was flagging as soon as the first wave had passed. When he shifted, it seemed to be so he could carry his prostate a little higher than Gladioʼs reach to protect himself. That manic need was gone. 

With his hands freed, Gladio took hold of Ignisʼ softening flesh and squeezed. Ignis cried and sagged, slamming his hands onto Gladioʼs chest while he pumped out the last seeds onto himself. 

“Okay?” Gladio croaked, reaching up with his left hand to brush the sweat over his loverʼs brow. When Ignis nodded, he told him, “Iʼm gonna put you back down.”

There was relief on his face when Ignis met the cold hard ground again, the light of the havenʼs markings and the moonlight painting his exhausted, sweat-sheeted form in a gentle blue hue. Like an Astral born in the days of creation. 

Gladio felt ashamed of the ache that weighed down on his still-erect cock. He wanted this…this beautiful man like this, he desired him. Despite what heʼd already done to him, despite the weariness in his flesh. 

“Gladio?” Ignis moaned when he turned him to his belly, looking back to him with confusion on his brows when Gladio spread his legs. His ass looked so fine and smooth. 

He massaged him on one cheek while his other hand collected the spend on his front to lather over his swollen shaft. “In a bit,” he promised. “I havenʼt come yet.”

Ignis stared at him, half in shock, half in…something that Gladio much rather not think about. 

He spread out his cheeks, and without another warning, plunged in with his rigid erection. Ignis jumped and screamed at his invasion, pushing up his ass and steeling himself. 

“Relax,” Gladio grunted, taking hold of the shudder in his voice while he pushed himself to the hilt. “I got you.” But gods, does he still feel so good—hot and tight, sucking him into his pliable walls. “I got you.” Still wanting him, still ready for him. 

“Be careful,” Ignis snarled, looking back to him over his shoulder. “Iʼm already sensitive down there.” There was a reason why he and Ignis never did this kind of sex—he wasnʼt a marathon runner, so to speak. Ignis always preferred it if they finished off closely to each other, and spent the rest of the night cuddling and kissing. Sleeping in each otherʼs arms and waking up ready for more sex. Enough time to let them enjoy each otherʼs company. 

Not like this—there was no intimacy or connection to be had in this act, this was just fucking. 

Ignis yelled again when he hit him too hard. Pressed his head onto the ground and groaned out loudly when Gladio took hold of his hips and pulled him in to meet his thrusts. “Gladio,” he grunted, baring the discomfort with his teeth. “Easy…easy!” But easy wasnʼt what Gladio needed. He needed to hear Ignis. He needed Ignis to keep the voice in his head at bay. 

“Just a little more,” he pleaded, hard at breath. “Iʼll come soon.”

“So hurry,” Ignis growled to him. “Gods, Gladio, hurry!”

He would take his word for it, then. Gladio rammed straight into him and began to pummel him desperately despite his roars. The sound of their asses meeting sharply stirred something unsavory in him even as Ignis writhed in his hands, scratching at the ground for purchase, twisting his hips and his face in pain. So different when he danced to the coils of ecstasy. 

He grabbed a handful of his ass and squeezed it. Ignis carried his face high enough only to tear out a raw cry, his voice quaking for every time he was struck. Still, he never begged for him to stop. Only gave himself and his permission for his lover to exploit and ravage as he saw fit. So good…he was so good to him! 

“There,” Gladio snarled, fingers digging into Ignisʼ hip bones, squeezing out another tight note from him. Holding on to the last threads of his restraint before the climax. Bleeding Ignisʼ obedience down to its last shreds. “Almost there.” This was wrong. He loved Ignis. This wasnʼt how he was supposed to treat him. 

“Gladio,” Ignis moaned, thumping his fist on the ground below him. “Gladio, please… _please!_ ” He cried. 

He came through in heavy jets, the heat both filling and fleeing his muscles as he spent himself inside Ignis on shaking knees. Ignis sung out a desperate moan while he pumped himself dry inside him. 

The night felt strange when everything was done. In the past, the two of them liked to play it a little rough—tying up Ignis, himself putting on a bit of a dom play, pinching him in his sensitive areas until they were red and Ignis was begging him inside him. 

It was different now. Theyʼd gone over the fence now. _Gladio_ had… 

And all because he couldnʼt take the burden of being Noctisʼ Shield. 

Ignis moved weakly when Gladio finally turned him over to help him breathe easier, and to hide Gladioʼs spill trailing down the back of his thighs. His entire body was practically blushing red from the sex, telltale bruises present where Gladio had held him in place to abuse him. 

He choked—he didnʼt think this was what he wanted. Without a thought for the cold, he laid down next to Ignis and peppered urgent kisses on his brows, his eyes and his cheeks. A man in supplication for forgiveness. 

But when his lover smiled at him, the look of it only gutted him. Even now, Ignis was still trying to protect him even when Gladio knew that no amount of kisses would ever erase what heʼd done to him tonight. 

“Iʼm sorry,” he gasped, breath shaking as he wiped a tear from one of Ignisʼ eyes and tried to soothe him with more kisses. It had hurt. He knew it would hurt even when Ignis said nothing of it. “Iʼm sorry, Ignis, itʼs my fault. I was too weak!” Too weak to face the future. Too weak to face his burden alone. 

Ignis shook his head, even raising a hand to dry Gladioʼs cheek, trace his facial scars. Gladio wished he could flinch but heʼd done enough to wrong Ignis in just one night. No matter what kind of consent his lover gave him, it was still not right that he took advantage of him and hurt him. 

“If weʼre done here, can we please get inside?” Ignis mumbled, running the back of his fingers on his ruined ink. “Itʼs warmer in there.”

Gladio sniffled as he nodded. Anything…just anything to earn a piece of Ignisʼ forgiveness. 

His muscles screamed in protest when he carried Ignis damsel-style and pushed himself up to his feet. There was still that smile on his face that burned him as he brought him to the waiting tent. Even that was already a different world—toasty. Kind. Familiar. 

Ignis fell asleep almost as soon as they laid down on their sleeping mats, ear on Gladioʼs chest, Gladioʼs lips still chasing away the pain heʼd caused. Or trying to. 

Even when he slept, his arms keeping Ignis warm, the truth of what heʼd done still haunted him.

—

Now he had more nightmares to hide from.

Gladio slept only so his body could rest from fucking Ignis. When he woke up, it seemed as if all those thoughts heʼd paused in his head had come charging back, like vengeful charioted spirits. 

Ignis looked at peace at last when he checked on him. Except for the bruises outside, it would be hard to tell what sort of thing heʼd done to him. He tucked him under his own sleeping mat to keep him warm in his absence, put on a clean underwear and padded out to meet the cold air. 

Dawn was still perhaps about an hour away. In the dark landscape, he could just make out the silhouettes of unspeakable beings being birthed from the shadows in blazes of purple. The protection of this haven he stood on suddenly felt so thin… 

He summoned his glaive from the air and rested it on his shoulder. He took a few paces between himself and Ignis inside the tent before he swung back his blade and spread his feet to assume the first form of his basic glaive training, something that had been imprinted on his bones since he was young. 

With a silent cry, he cut down the secret enemy in front of him, pulled back his glaive and moved to the second form. If he couldnʼt keep his daemons from his mind, he thought maybe he could at least keep his mind away from them. 

And he could do this for hours, going through first the basic routine, then the intermediate one, then the one with the shield. The one with just the shield or his fists. He could still feel the exertions from sex around his hips but he fought through it. Told himself that it was a dreadful mistake that he had to learn from. 

He finished through his first set with a deadly cut to an enemy on his side. Then shifted his feet back as he spun around and threw his steel at the attacker over his shoulder. 

Glaive landed sharply on spear. Ignis had blocked the move cleanly with a forehanded grip over his shoulder, smirking at his triumph. 

Gladio pulled back in an instant, casting wide eyes on his sudden lover. “Ignis!”

Ignis spun his spear until he stood as erect as it, its blade pointing upwards just behind his head. The way he did it, Gladio could almost pretend as if he hadnʼt fucked him like an animal. He was dressed in a pair of trainers, possibly with no boxers inside, and Gladioʼs jacket. Heʼd also neglected to put on a shirt. 

“You looked like you were having fun,” he explained his presence. 

“What the hell are you doing out here?” Gladio snarled, letting the crystals take his sword as he marched up to Ignis and put his hands over his jaw and neck. A gesture that made Ignis smile as he leaned into one of them, carrying his own palms over them. The spear was gone, as well. “Itʼs cold! Are you hurt?” he whispered, voice shaking again. 

Bless Ignis because he never lied. Despite the contentment on his face, he nodded. “My ass has never felt like this in years,” he laughed, running his thumb idly over Gladioʼs wrist. “It almost reminds me of the first time we had sex, but worse.”

“Next time, just go and stab me,” Gladio growled to him, sniffing back his tears again. He didnʼt deserve to cry. “I swear to the Six and their Messengers, I will never allow myself to do this to you again but if I do, just end me with your daggers.”

Ignis was still chuckling when he nodded. Didnʼt look like he took that seriously, though. Damn him. “If it makes you feel better,” he said instead, “I suffered through that not because I was too timid to fight you off, but because I decided you were worth the pain.”

Gladio bared his teeth at his lover again. 

“And because I was holding up my end of the bargain,” Ignis went on, now taking those hands from his sides to weave their fingers together between them. “I promised you full compliance of my body…for a price that you would pay.”

Gladio never forgot. And now heʼd run himself into a corner, trying to escape it. 

He looked away from Ignis. “You sold your consent for a cheap price.”

“Thatʼs for me to decide,” Ignis persisted. “Now tell me,” he pulled a hand free from Gladioʼs grasp and brought his face back to his with his fingers on his chin, “what would cause the protector to hurt his lover?”

Gladio frowned, wearing his guilt unabashedly in front of Ignis. Just the way he wanted it, he thought. “Guess this was all a part of your master plan, strategist,” he snorted. 

Ignis smiled in triumph. “I wouldnʼt say this was how I planned for the night to go but I will take the credit.” Of course he would. His ego likes it. No wonder he could still smile so easily. 

Gladio sighed, dropping his face to look at their twined hands. He had nothing more he could say, then, except… “W, when,” he cleared his throat, “when Gilgamesh sent me off with his blessing…th, there was something that he said thatʼs been bothering me.”

“Which is?” Ignis prompted him, the beacon of patience. 

Gladio raised his eyes to Ignis. “He said that the Last King of Lucis was ill-fit to fight without his Shield.” An omen that transformed Ignisʼ facade from one of softness to open-faced disbelief. 

“Last—” Ignis swallowed his spit, staring hard at Gladio who turned again to their hands so he could squeeze his. “Last _King_? Youʼre serious?”

“I donʼt know,” Gladio admitted, sniffling. “I was leaving when he said that. I, I thought…maybe Iʼd misheard. I mean I did almost just get killed but…” He shook his head, seeking comfort again from Ignis though he looked a little winded himself from what he heard. “Been tryinʼ to think about what he could have said instead but none of them makes sense.”

“Not that this makes sense either,” Ignis sighed, reaching for his glasses only to find that they werenʼt on his face. He turned to the fireside where he was taken. 

Gladio padded to it, picking it up from the ground. “So nothing, huh?” He turned around, handing it back to Ignis. 

Ignis inspected it for any damages then cleaned it by the inside of Gladioʼs jacket before he put it on. “No,” he revealed, facing him. “Aside from the obvious…I canʼt think of what else it could mean.”

“Then it canʼt be the obvious.” Gladio folded his arms over his chest. “‘cause if it is, then…”

Ignis looked away, himself unable to speak it. 

Gladio dropped his head with a heavy sigh through his nose. All those secrets, the pain heʼd caused the man he claimed to love just to escape his mind…and for what? “You remember when Noct was still in high school,” he began after a moment, “and he would skip out on training a lot?” Ignis nodded when he looked up to him. “One time, I picked him up from the arcade and brought him to my house to spar. Didnʼt like that.” He chuckled. 

“‘round that time, I think that was when His Majesty started to use the cane,” he went on. “Noct told me that afternoon that he knew he wasnʼt any close to being king yet but that…he didnʼt want to think of his dad as dying…” Funny, he wasnʼt even thinking about that time…until now. After Gilgameshʼs words. 

Gladio pulled his brows tight. “Thought I knew what he meant back then but…I think I do now.” He didnʼt want to think of Noctis as dead. The punk heʼd seen grow up into a prince…the prince that was now filling a kingʼs shoes, he couldnʼt imagine a life without that smug face, their daily insults. 

Shouldnʼt—as his Shield, what he only wanted was for Noctis to outlive him. 

A sentiment, he was sure, the somber Ignis understood. He felt no guilt, then, when he approached him despite what heʼd done to him earlier, taking him in his own arms when Ignis wrapped him in his embrace. This time, this comfort was something they both needed. 

Ignis laughed briefly into his shoulder. “Perhaps it was you who was shortchanged, donʼt you think?”

“We still fightinʼ about that?” Gladio returned in a chuckle. That, too—they both needed it. “Iʼm sorry I hurt you,” he sighed to his hair. 

Ignis shook his head. “There is nothing that requires your apology. Iʼm sorry you were frightened without me.”

Gladio choked in his own laughter. Didnʼt he say something like that as he left the Tempering Grounds? “Yeah,” he said. “Guess I was.”

Over the horizon, dawnlight cast a pink hue over the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in japanese, "prince noctis" and "uncle noctis" would sound similar ahahaha
> 
> thanks for reading!


	14. Chapter 14

That night…when Ignis came to his room the night before the Trial of Leviathan, he should have known something was wrong. Since Old Lestallum, whenever they needed the company of each otherʼs arms and skin, they found a way to somehow make it possible, no matter how short a time was afforded them. 

But they never forced it. Not in the way Ignis just appeared in the room that night, sealed all the locks on the door and started to strip from his clothes. Quite unlike him even next to all the playful moods heʼd had in the past. 

“Ignis?” Gladio couldnʼt keep the slightest alarm from his voice. He had just enough time to put aside his book and get up from his bed before a naked Ignis straddled him and pushed him back down to his pillow. A feather-like electricity tickled him when Ignis licked his nipples and kissed the scar on his chest. “Ignis, whatʼs wrong? Whereʼs Prompto?”

“I sent him to Noctʼs room,” Ignis answered with a huff, too busy cupping a feel of Gladioʼs cock. The pressure and the intent of his fingers sent a startled jolt straight to his lungs. Ignis went ahead and pulled his trainers and briefs off, leaving them to pile on the floor before he rooted in the night desk for his lube. “Where is it?”

“In that closet.” Gladio pointed to one to his right. He started to get up from his bed. “Iʼll go get it…” 

Ignis was already there, though, moving quickly now that he found himself in familiar grounds. He pulled the lube from his emergency kit and was back on top of him in no time. 

“Lie down.” He pushed him to his back again, took hold of Gladioʼs cock and slathered it with the lube. Then Ignis sat on him and started to spread it with his ass. 

“Oh shit,” Gladio groaned, squirming on his pillow. There was no way Ignis wouldnʼt have felt him getting harder and twitching excitedly. “Shit, thatʼs hot.” Why didnʼt they do it this way before? 

Ignis boosted himself up shortly after, putting himself just over Gladioʼs sleek cock to take it in his hand and point it to his entrance—

“Hey, Ignis!” Gladio grabbed for his hand and his hips in two quick breaths, keeping hold despite the warning look Ignis shot him. “You’re not yet ready!”

“Get inside me and find out for yourself.”

“You want me to believe that without touching you?” Gladio snapped, teeth bared. “Just ‘cause Iʼm wet doesnʼt mean Iʼm gonna fit in there if you arenʼt soft yet. You gonna make me hurt you again?” It had only been days, after all, since heʼd made that mistake. The guilt was still fresh like a wound, even when everything was settled and forgiven. 

He wondered if that was why Ignis had come to him so soon after what heʼd done. Maybe the ridiculousness of it was just now crossing his mind, at that instant he turned away from Gladio. He didnʼt want to say he knew what was going on now but Gladio was sure of one thing: Ignis was looking for comfort again. And if his movements were anything to go by, he needed it now—at this very moment. 

But Ignis let go of his cock, and lowered himself to Gladioʼs legs. “You’re right,” he yielded. “I should not have acted so brashly. And I should not have forced myself on you, especially after what happened between us so recently.” He laughed shallowly, smiling paly. “Forgive me, it wasnʼt my intention to play on your guilt or to take it lightly. Perhaps we ought to just forget about this.” He started to get up. 

“Hey,” Gladioʼs voice was soft but his hand snapped like a viper when he caught Ignisʼ biceps with his fingers. “Seriously? You gonna leave me here to jack off on my own after that thing you did with your ass?” he chuckled. Probably not the right words to say at this hour but in Gladioʼs defense, he was taken by surprise. In every sense of the word, Ignis _was_ forcing himself on him. 

Despite that, heʼd be damned if Ignis slept alone tonight, steeped in his own guilt. Heʼd fall on the sword before that happened. 

Gladio carried himself up so that he was chest-to-chest with Ignis, and he could reach his ear and whisper things to it. “Iʼd be crazy to let you go after that. It looked like a promise of fun things tonight, didnʼt it?” He caught himself laughing deeply when Ignis shuddered despite holding on to his silence. The way he held himself almost stiffly atop Gladio, he thought it felt like one false move from him would ruin the moment and Gladio would call the whole thing off. Ignis was so rarely, if at all, irrational. This was bad. 

He scaled his side and his back with his hands, moving slowly to keep his touch smooth while he breathed in the hotel shampoo from Ignisʼ hair. “But before that, let me warm you up nicely, hm? You wouldnʼt wanna ride a car without heating up the engine, right?” Ignis was breathing a little louder when he nodded, keeping his face averted still in embarrassment. “We gotta make sure we got some gas going,” his thumb ghosted over his right nipple, finally tickling the first sigh through his lips, “before we turn on the ignition. Right?” A question asked while he traced the crack of Ignisʼ ass for another shiver. 

“Am I right?” he prompted him again until Ignis nodded. “Or does the royal chauffeur have something else to say about it?” If Ignis wanted out, this would be his first chance to say it. 

But he looked at him finally and shook his head. Those lush green eyes, gods, how he wanted to kiss them. “I need this, Gladio,” Ignis said instead, running his finger gently along his downward scar. “I need you.” That was it. 

If he ever changed his mind in the middle of the night, Gladio would just have to trust him to say so. He nodded back and raised himself slightly to press a soft kiss on his left eye, and then one down the corner of his lips. 

Afterwhich, he patted the side of his bed for Ignis to lie down on. “The body shopʼs open for business, then.”

He made love to him, both of them holding out for as long as they could until they came together, Ignis crying loudly in his arms. Gladio soothed him from the quake of their coitus with tiny little kisses along his face, both of them flustered and covered lightly in sweat. 

He stopped only when Ignis caressed his lips with his thumb, then raised himself to embrace Gladio around his neck. Gladio carried him with a hand as he whispered to him, “Thank you.”

“For the great sex?” Gladio chuckled—their usual joke. But it _had_ been a great sex—warm and tight in each otherʼs arms, they couldnʼt get enough of their mouths and their voices. A world of difference from their last time together. Heʼd always known that Ignis loved it best when he was pinned heavily under his weight but sometimes forgot about it in his obsession with his physique and the work that Ignis had put into it. “You know I would do anything for you.”

Ignis sighed when he was set down on Gladioʼs pillow. “A part of me somehow wishes youʼd said no, but the greater part of me is relieved you agreed to take me.” His eyes and hands traveled to the ink over his shoulders and chest. “I feel safer now.”

“Somethinʼ scare you?” He wouldnʼt be acting this way if nothing did. 

Ignis raised his eyes to Gladio. “Promise not to laugh.”

Gladio stared at Ignis, accusing him of being an idiot. Then when Ignis popped a brow in expectation, he rolled his eyes and raised a hand. “In the name of my king, Noctis Lucis Caelum, I promise not to laugh at whatever got Ignis Scientia spooked.”

“You neglected to add his order in line.”

“Uh…” Gladio redirected the question to the ceiling. “Was that 113th? 114th?”

“114th,” Ignis chuckled, stroking his jaw, thumb over beard. “King Regis was the 113th king of Lucis.”

Gladio shrugged. “Still got it right.”

Ignis nodded. His finger traced idly along the outline of his chin. “Itʼs him I worry about. Our 114th king.”

“Whatʼs new?”

“The Trial of Leviathan,” Ignis answered, meeting his eyes. Gladio smoothed his thumb over his cheekbone, and then his hair, matted down by their lovemaking. “We wonʼt be there to aid him should he need us.”

“Hey, he held himself up nicely with Titan before we got to him, right?” Gladio brushed Ignisʼ ear. “Heʼs stronger than he looks. And heʼs got more power from the kings now than when he faced Titan. We just gotta make sure he doesnʼt stay alone for _too_ long. We gotta do our jobs, too.”

“Everything is critical,” Ignis said, sighing heavily. “If…if one of us should slip—”

“Get that outta your head, Ignis,” Gladio clicked his tongue. “We donʼt know whatʼs gonna happen tomorrow, but that doesnʼt mean everythingʼs gonna be bad. Who knows, she might just be more like a Ramuh-kinda goddess. Maybe sheʼll just wanna have tea with Noct.”

“Gladio,” Ignis laughed in breaths, “that will be the _worst_ trial for Noct!”

“Eh,” Gladio shrugged, “heʼll get more of that once we sit his ass on the throne. Better we start him young, right?” Ignis was laughing again. He smiled. “Least youʼre laughing now.”

Ignis smiled with him. “You’re right. I should stop worrying about him and put my faith in our king.”

“He ainʼt a kid anymore,” Gladio added. “Heʼll be fine. He wonʼt be alone just ‘cause weʼre on security detail, after all.”

Ignis nodded. “Thank you, Gladio.”

Gladio smiled wider and pressed a warm kiss on Ignisʼ forehead and eye.

Ignis exhaled softly in bliss. “I want to see your back,” he told him. 

“Gonna ruffle up my feathers again?”

Ignis nodded, before he lifted himself a little and shifted aside so Gladio could lie down on his belly, arms under his pillow. 

“Feel free to play with my ass,” Gladio added quickly, though it had been some time since Ignis penetrated him. With their opportunities for sex few and far between, thereʼd been much less room for experimentation. They only knew that they wanted satisfaction, and that Ignis achieved it best on his back. Gladio, for his part, didnʼt mind being the giver all the time. Ignisʼ ass took him well and his own enjoyment had always been hinged to his partnerʼs. Add to that, being at the front row seat to Ignisʼ excellent form…it was a win-win situation. 

But sometimes, Ignis also liked to stimulate himself with Gladioʼs Crest in full-view. And when he was impatient, he took a shortcut that wouldnʼt require him to open up his lover: he would lather up his cheeks with lube and sandwich his cock between them where he could then rub himself for however long he wanted. All while running his fingers, his mouth and his tongue over Gladioʼs wings. 

It was a nice treat, one of Gladioʼs favorites. After this, Ignis always wanted to be taken again so he could finish off properly. Until then, he would enjoy this—eyes closed as he listened to the sighs and moans that Ignis made while he warmed him up from behind.

—

That was just three nights ago—but it seemed like decades had passed since, in the light of what had happened in the Trial. The world felt like a different place now. Heavier. Sadder.

When Prompto knocked on the door, he didnʼt even turn to see if it was him. Hardly anyone visited, anymore, much less checked in on the two of them. Except Cid Sophiar, whoʼd survived the attack by the grace of the gods. 

And them. “Time to eat,” Prompto said. 

He was carrying a tray as he walked past Gladio, loaded with a pair of shallow bowls, glasses of water and plates of flan and fruits. “Sorry to trouble you,” he mumbled while Prompto laid down their lunch on the coffee table in front of him. “Food looks great,” he added flatly. They were served carbonara today. 

“Perks of hotel living, eh?” Prompto grinned, though the weight was heavy on the corners of his lips. Too heavy, in fact, that he couldnʼt keep it up. 

He frowned at his food before he looked past his right, towards the majestic bed. “Think if we feed him vegetables, Noctʼll wake up?”

Gladio followed his gaze to where the king lied asleep. It had been two days since the Trial of Leviathan, and Noctis hadnʼt woken up since. And the only relief that was afforded to them was that he was still breathing. Gladio made sure of this practically every hour that passed, while he moved his limbs, flexed his hands and feet. He had to keep him limber even in this state. 

“Think he might just choke and die,” Gladio replied, carrying his bowl and fork closer to him while he stirred. He heard Prompto shift uneasily across him. 

“Y, yeah…youʼre right,” Prompto mumbled quietly. He took his lunch, then, and started to stir in shame. 

A real mood killer. Gladio practically flung his fork and his bowl back to the tray, spilling some food as they landed. Prompto started with a soft yelp which only added to his already weighty conscience. “Sorry, I just…” he exhaled, falling back to his seat, rubbing his hands on his face. “Just not in a good way right now. Iʼm sorry, Prompto.” And after all theyʼd been through during the Trial and the days that followed. 

“Oh,” Prompto chirruped. Or desperately tried to. “W, well…m, misery loves company. R, right?”

His smile was trying its best again when Gladio faced him. A real champ. Prompto was nothing if not a fighter through and through, after all. He nodded, tossing his hand to him. “Yeah…can say that again.” He paused briefly, where Prompto nodded back. They werenʼt going to get anywhere like this, and Gladio was so tired of being helpless. More than looking after the king, that was what wore him out more. He could take hundreds of bullets and cuts and broken bones for his liege but this…

This was a special kind of hell, reserved only for those who survived. “Cʼmon,” he grunted, picking up his bowl and fork, again. “Let’s eat. No use going hungry.”

“Yeah,” Prompto agreed, sitting up straighter. He dug in, then, slurping at his noodles. Gladio did the same, practically gobbling down his food. Just to get this part of the day over and done with. 

“But man,” Prompto spoke again, sighing, “it sure is different when Ignis cooks, huh? Even when itʼs just whatever, he really has a way of making everything taste so good…” Even in their depressed state, somehow, Prompto managed to sing that out. 

“Huh,” Gladio laughed with a weak smile. “Make sure you tell Ignis that when he wakes up.” When he wakes up…whenever that is. After the Trial of Leviathan and all hell broke loose, they found him at the Altar of the Tidemother, sprawled out next to the sleeping Noctis. At that time, he was still conscious, though full of pain… 

After he fainted on Gladioʼs arms, he hadnʼt woken up since. That…was another problem Gladio had no solution for. It was infuriating, to say the least. 

“Yeah,” Prompto said with a note of resolution. “Iʼm gonna. Though,” he shrugged, “Iʼll just say it to him when I drop by.”

“You talk to ‘im?” Gladio put down his empty bowl. 

Prompto nodded, twirling at his noodles idly. “Donʼt you?” He did, of course. He did more than that—he washed him and kissed him and slept by his side, whispering for him to wake up. When he could. 

Gladio nodded. “Thanks for keeping him company.”

“No problem.” Prompto smiled, perking up. “I mean, itʼs the least I can do, right?”

Gladio shook his head. “Itʼs more help than what you think.” He gestured to him with a hand. “Since I canʼt be by his side, Iʼm really thankful someone I trust checks in on him.”

Prompto laughed suddenly, shyly. “Well, I mean,” he scratched his head, “itʼs not like Ignis isnʼt my friend, too, yʼknow? Iʼm worried about him as much as you are. Or…” More embarrassed tittering. “Maybe…not as much?”

Gladio snorted, shaking his head again. 

“But…is it really okay?” Prompto went on. “That Iʼm seeing him more than you?”

Gladio pulled up a lazy smirk. “Why not? You just said it, itʼs not like Ignis ainʼt your friend, too.”

“Y, yeah but…” Prompto scratched his head “…donʼt you…love him?” He did. Of course, he did. 

Heʼd always had—ever since they started out as a fling. Where he came to know about his brand of caring. And humor. How sharply his wit could cut, how soothing the soups he made so that he kept coming back for more. Of both. And then he was so handsome, and beautiful at the same time. He was…he was so many things Gladio couldnʼt keep track of and couldnʼt imagine a life without. It was no wonder he…or they already felt so lost in the two days Ignis was absent. Ignis would have known what to do. Ignis would have given him the comfort he needed. 

Gladio nodded, pressing a smile onto the line of his lips. “Yeah,” he admitted. “Always have,” he went on. “But,” he sniffled, looking back to Noctis, still asleep, and then shaking his head, “you gotta understand: I canʼt trade the kingʼs life for his no matter how much I love him. Iʼm the Shield of the King, right?” He faced Prompto. “That means Iʼm supposed to be sticking by Noct in case anything happens to him. If Iʼd been there during the Trial…” 

His face fell to his hands, which had done nothing to stop this. “If Iʼd been there, maybe none of this wouldʼve happened. Maybe Noct and Ignis would be okay. And maybe even Lady Lunafreya…” He trailed off. Somehow, saying her name…now…seemed so wrong. When it used to be that her name was spoken as a way of hoping for the future but now… 

“Weird,” Gladio mumbled, dropping his hands, “mourning for a woman you havenʼt even met yet.”

“Yeah,” Prompto echoed him. He put his unfinished lunch back on the tray, crestfallen. “You know, I really wanted to meet her since she wrote me that letter when I was a kid. Pryna, too.”

“She really sounded like one hell of a woman,” Gladio attached to his words. 

“Think Pryna survived?” Prompto asked, raising his eyes to Gladio. They both knew the Oracle never went far without her canine Messengers. They knew also that Umbra made it out okay, judging by the presence of the notebook beside Noctis. But as for his counterpart… 

“Wouldnʼt bet on it,” Gladio sighed, pulling his vibrating phone from his pocket to check his screen, though he didnʼt really need to know what it was. With his king still asleep, after all, there wasnʼt much to do except to keep time. Heʼd tried to read a book but that went nowhere fast. “Seems a lot easier to just assume the worst, yʼknow?” He swept past the notification and stood up, putting it back in his pocket. “Be back in an hour.”

“Okay,” Prompto replied. “Iʼll call when Noct wakes up.”

Gladio nodded with a wave as he left the room. 

Everyday, since the Trial of Leviathan, heʼd walk this path about six times in his day: out the door, down the stairwell, left to the end of the hallway until he was at the 2nd door from the dead end. He always knocked before he brought out his key card and made his way in. 

There was always no one to answer the door for him. Their stuff was still scattered on the floor, one of the beds was always unmade. 

Ignis was still asleep on his own, his once perfect face, now marred by an angry gash on the left side around his eye. Like heʼd grazed himself on the ground in some…very specific way. There had been no blood, though, when Gladio got to him that night. Just a strange…silver foil of sorts that faded over time into what it was now—a flesh scar, darker than the skin around it. Gladio still didnʼt know what it was—when heʼd seen it, heʼd been too scared to touch it. When heʼd come back to wash Ignis, it was already gone. 

The doctor who saw him the next day gave him nothing useful since neither of them knew exactly what had happened. He recommended some topical creams for scars but since Gladio didnʼt know of the source of it, he was wary to use them. What if they caused an inflammation? Or triggered some…fungal infection or whatever? Gladio didnʼt know…he didnʼt know anything. He felt so gods damned helpless… 

The best he could do, then, was to wash it with water, and then to dress it with a light kiss. The skin felt rough under his lips, so different from what he knew of Ignis. He wondered if it stung. He wondered if he was hurting Ignis in his sleep and just didnʼt know it. 

Gladio pressed their foreheads together, eyes closed as he drew out a shaky sigh while his hand grasped Ignisʼ on his bedside. He sat on one of the plush seats theyʼd moved from the lounge set to the space between the beds. “Please wake up,” he whispered to him so quietly, tightening his grip. “You gotta come back…‘cause I canʼt do this without you. Itʼs been days since I last heard your voice and I feel so lost…I donʼt know what to do.”

A bold confession he would have otherwise been too scared to utter if he wasnʼt just so desperate. If a dead manʼs ears could pick up the faintest word, after all, how much more could a sleeping man hear? 

He kissed him again, once on his eye and then on his lips, which felt a little chapped and dry despite Gladioʼs best efforts. He better do something about that before Ignis complained. “Ya hungry?” he asked on his way to the bathroom, speaking in his usual voice. Or trying to without it cracking. “Itʼs lunchtime. Menu for the dayʼs carbonara and some flan and fruits.” He took a clean cloth from the towel rack and then a basin he filled with warm water—everything provided for by their gracious host the Leville. Perks of hotel living indeed. 

“Prompto thought you woulda done a better job.” Sitting by Ignisʼ side, he soaked a small part of the cloth into the water and let the excess drip. “ _I_ reckon heʼs right. Canʼt say Iʼm not biased, though. Then again,” he sighed, shoulders falling, “…then again, I really miss you.” 

He turned towards Ignis. Still no response. 

Gladio snorted. He shifted closer to him and started dabbing the damp cloth on his lips gently. “Your lips are dry,” he explained, just for the sake of it. “This oughta help. Iʼll get Prompto to buy some lip balm later. You want anything else?” He dipped the cloth back in the water and then put it back on Ignisʼ lips. “You need anything, just let me know. Iʼm here for you.” Anytime now would be a good time for him to speak his mind. Before that, of course, heʼd have to move his lips. 

Gladio could barely believe his eyes when Ignis did—biting them together as if to swallow the water that had moistened them. “Ignis?” he gasped, setting the basin and the cloth on the floor so he could take Ignisʼ hand with both of his. He might be shaking. “Ignis?!”

The first sound that came from him was a weary moan, as if heʼd just come from being knocked unconscious. Ignisʼ brows tightened as he swallowed his spit. 

Until finally, he mumbled, “Gladio…?”

There was no way Gladio would have kept his laughter to himself in the face of a miracle. He might be crying. “Yeah,” he sniffled, brushing his tears haphazardly on his biceps before he pressed his lips on Ignisʼ knuckles. “Itʼs me. Iʼm here.”

Ignisʼ sleepy smile only heartened him. “It really is you, isnʼt it?”

Gladio nodded. “Canʼt be anyone else,” he added. From where he sat, he moved to his loverʼs bedside, keeping their hands latched while he brushed Ignisʼ fringes lightly with his left fingers. “How are you feelinʼ?” he asked, holding Ignisʼ uninjured side gently by the cheek. Ignis turned his head towards him with a smile, finally opening his eyes. “The hell took you so long to wake up—?” His heart fell when he saw them. 

“My apologies,” Ignis began, shaking his head, “I suppose I…” He frowned. “Gladio?” But Gladio couldnʼt break from his own shock to assure him. Those green eyes he grew up with, that he loved to behold and had always soothed him…

They were gone now. Gone white, like some disease had eaten away their lush shade and replaced it with something…something ill. Something not right. 

“Gladio,” Ignis tried again while Gladio searched his eyes for the defect. “I canʼt see you…”

—

Total blindness.

That was the only diagnosis the doctor could give them that afternoon. An obvious one and yet still so damning. There was no cure, of course. 

Or at least nothing that Ignis was willing to take. “Highly unnecessary,” was what he called them. “We will only be wasting our time,” he added after but whenever they would ask him what had happened, he would say nothing. “The last thing I remember is the chancellorʼs ship heading for the Altar,” was all he said. 

There was nothing else the doctor could do. 

Gladio stayed with Ignis while Prompto escorted the doctor to Noctisʼ room. He sat on Ignisʼ bed by his feet. The man himself was propped up on pillows, saying nothing. 

“Ignis,” he began, as soon as they were alone, “weʼre not going anywhere without Noct, anyway. Weʼve got time to seek out options.”

“Youʼve heard what the doctor said, Gladio,” Ignis replied, the image of patience despite being the one who suffered. He preferred to wear his eyes shut now—he could still make out light and for now, they hurt him. “I have become totally blind. Even the treatments he offered have no assurance of success.” Gladio sighed, heavy with frustration, rubbing his eyes with his hand. “I would rather we realign our focus to Noct—”

“So youʼre just gonna accept it?” Gladio cut him off, tone ripe with disappointment. “You’re fine that you wonʼt even get to see Noct anymore? Or _me?_ ” He jabbed his chest while Ignis turned away from him. “What about my Crest? You remember that Crest? You remember you like to look at it?!”

“ _Some things—!_ ” Ignis shouted, baring his teeth at Gladioʼs direction. When he paused, though, his venom simmered down so suddenly, as if someone had just switched off the fire on a boiling pot. He averted his face again, touching the crook of his finger idly on the bottom of his gash. 

“Some things,” he began again, more calmly now. More like himself. “Are just worth the sacrifice.” Of course. 

Lest they forget—duty over everything. The be-all and end-all. Gladio snarled hotly through his nose, glaring darkly at his feet. Defeat tasted like a bitter pill at the back of his tongue though he couldnʼt say what made it worse—that Ignis was right or that he agreed with him. They wouldnʼt be here otherwise… 

Fine. Since they were already on the subject of duty, anyway, might as well… “Then we better figure out how weʼre gonna move from now on,” Gladio spat, unable to keep the hard tone from his voice. He cleared his throat, sitting straighter. “You canʼt drive, and you canʼt cook either.”

“Iʼm aware,” Ignis muttered sourly under his breath. 

Gladio frowned at him. And whose fault was it, anyway? “You wonʼt be joining any hunts for now either.”

“Gladio, do you mean to exclude me?” Ignis hissed. 

“Ignis, do you hear yourself?” Gladio snapped, growling behind his teeth. “The last thing we need is you getting hurt again!”

“I am aware that my eyesight has now become a liability for the group,” Ignis pressed on, frowning deeply. “But I ask that you will not let my disability come between me and my duty.”

“Your duty isnʼt gonna mean much to Noct if youʼre just gonna lose your head over it,” Gladio rebutted. He shook his head. “You’re of better use to us alive than dead.”

Ignisʼ brows tightened still. “And I suppose thatʼs meant to touch me.” He sounded bitter, though. 

Gladio bit back his snarl. Of all the times to be stubborn— “Iʼm trying to talk sense to you, Ignis!” He tossed a hand, struggling to temper his mood. “Think about it! You know Iʼm right.”

Ignis held on to his silence. 

Gladio sighed, dropping his head forward, weighing heavily with their problems. Well, he shouldnʼt blame his friend, he told himself. It was surprising enough for him to take all this in, so imagine what Ignis must be feeling now, he said. Ignis who didnʼt need to wear glasses except that he wanted to see everything clearly. And now he couldnʼt see anything at all. All because of duty… 

They better make it worth it, he thought. And he better make sure of it. 

He got up. Sauntered over to Ignisʼ side, standing between him and the empty seat. “I gotta get back to work,” he said, moving his hand awkwardly, just to fill the space. “I gotta get back up to Noct. You need anything?”

Ignis shook his head. He touched his wound again. “If I need anything, Iʼll just call,” he answered. 

Gladio nodded. He looked at his watch. “Iʼll be back in another hour. Iʼll send Prompto down here to watch over you.” He started out. 

“Gladio,” Ignis called to him quickly before he could leave. He turned to watch him struggle with his words. “Perhaps…not now?” he finally managed. “I…would like to spend some time alone. For now. Please.”

He should ask him what was wrong, he thought. Then again, everything was. He ought to ask him if he was sure, too. But then again, heʼd already made himself clear. One part of him thought he better stay… 

But he needed to get back to his kingʼs side. And he thought Ignis needed this time to come to terms with his…new life. 

Gladio nodded. “Okay,” he said, when he remembered that the guy couldnʼt see anymore. 

“Thank you, Gladio,” Ignis replied. 

Gladio waved to him. But by then, Ignis had already leaned back to his pillow, and turned away from where he stood.

—

He should have known that that was only the beginning. Blind or not, he was still Ignis, after all. For as long as he had a job to do, he would never sit still for too long. Even when it felt like they were just going through the motions now.

He got up early the next morning as he so often would, surprising Gladio who slept in the bed next to him but try as he might to offer his help, Ignis insisted against accepting it. 

Prompto hurried down from Noctisʼ bedroom when he read Gladioʼs message about Ignis. By then, he was already in the shower, and Gladio stood by the door held ajar, his arms crossed, waiting for him to finish. It was a compromise they both settled on. 

“Seriously?” he asked Gladio, looking uncertain. “Heʼs already moving?”

Gladio shrugged. “Wouldnʼt let me stop him,” he shared. “Listen, could I bother you with breakfast? I just canʼt leave ‘im, you know?” He jutted his head to the sounds of splashing water. “I promise to do lunch. Get some porridge for Ignis. Iʼm fine with whatever.”

“Leave it to me!” Prompto saluted as he bounced backwards before he headed off the room. 

Gladio pulled his head back to the wall, then, and exhaled. Honestly, if it werenʼt for Prompto, he didnʼt know what to do with all of them now. Noctis was still asleep and Ignis was seriously injured. Without a home to return to now that everything was falling apart, they had no choice but to be stranded in this journey. 

Could they manage it, though? Were they still up for it? What would he do if something like this were to happen to them again? Or worse? 

With only a little difficulty, Ignis managed to dress himself and come out looking more or less like his usual self, except for the scars and the bumbling footsteps. 

Gladio caught him swiftly by the arm as he listed dangerously to the tiled walls of the bathroom, half-flailing for his balance. He waited for him to right himself, watching closely as he nodded and patted his saving hand, before he let him go. 

“My thanks,” Ignis told him. He groped for the sink, anxious hands grasping it to ground his weight and exploring its shape to build a map of its image in his head. Clumsy fingers brushed his styling pomade waiting at the side and knocked it off. 

“Iʼll go get it.” Gladio raced him to it. 

“Please, Gladio, let me do it—” Ignis started to follow. 

“You wanna hit your head on the sink?!” Gladio burst at him halfway to the errant jar, causing Ignis to flinch and turn his face to his shoulder. That hadnʼt been necessary. 

Gladio could barely keep his thunderous mood in check, feeling it tighten his chest. He hated that he took advantage of Ignisʼ blindness when he wore it honestly in his presence, even gnashing his teeth. Why did Ignis have to be so gods damned stubborn? Why wouldnʼt he just let Gladio help him out? He was the one who insisted to stay blind, wasnʼt he?! If he knew this was going to happen, then he shouldnʼt have…! 

Shouldnʼt have…what? Gotten himself blind? Why would Ignis do that when he hated being unable to see well? Between that time the bridge blew and when he finally found Ignis, something terrible had happened that required…this…this sacrifice Ignis was saying. 

Gladio just wished he knew what it was. He couldnʼt understand what was happening to them, anymore. He wouldnʼt say everything was already going well but…the four of them had been okay… 

He turned Ignisʼ hand as gently as he could to plant the jar in it. “Sorry for shouting at you,” he mumbled, ripe with shame. “Didnʼt mean to do it.”

Ignis nodded, squaring his shoulders. “Thank you for apologizing,” he replied. He kept a fierce grip on the pomade lest he drop it again and searched for his comb, his line of vision angled downwards to the middle of the sink. He found it shortly after, running his thumb along its plastic bristles and readjusting his fingers around it…as if trying to remember how he used to hold it. It wasnʼt even that Ignis needed his eyes to check off his morning routine but… 

In darkness, everything was different. Even the roads at night looked strange than if the sun was up. Gladio stood by his friendʼs side as he tried to remember something he knew by heart. It used to be that Ignis could be in and out of the bathroom in half an hour with everything in order, multitasking and squeezing next to Gladio while he was at it. 

Now he didnʼt even know where to start. His left hand, which he used to smooth back his locks with his quick combing, now climbed uneasily to his hairline, still full of the jar—but that wasnʼt how he used to do it and he didnʼt know how to do it now. He tried a few tentative strokes…but Gladio supposed it wasnʼt the same to what he was used to. And that never sat well with Ignis. His hands fell heavily on the sink. Defeated. 

The sight of it stung Gladio like a poisoned barb. “Here,” he put his hand lightly over the back of his left, the one with the pomade, “let me do that for you. Iʼve seen it enough times to know how it works.”

Ignis shook his head persistently. “I can do this, Gladio.”

“Yeah, I bet.” Gladio nodded. He didnʼt know what to do but he knew he had to get Ignis back at his side. “But…itʼs gonna take time. Right?” He looked down to their hands. “You were…y, you—” Gods, what should he say?! “Y, youʼre…seriously injured,” he tried. “Even a guy who broke his hand has to relearn how to tie his shoelaces…yʼknow?” It made sense to him. Ignis, though, he couldnʼt say anymore. But he was always so logical… 

It felt like an entire season had passed before Ignis finally, _finally_ gave in and let him lead him out to the bedroom. Gladio sat him down at the foot of his bed so he could kneel in front of him and comb his damp hair back. This…despite all those mornings theyʼd spent together, this was the first time he would get to do this. Since Ignis was always so particular about himself but now… 

Now he sniffled, and clenched his fists tightly on his knees while Gladio prepared the pomade to be applied to his hair. Ignis had tried to hide his agitation but if he moved, then Gladioʼs work would be ruined and they would have to start all over again. Prolonging his…his pain, his discomfort. Gladio couldnʼt say if it was one or the other. Or both. 

“Gimme a minute,” Gladio sniffled, working the first layer of pomade onto his hair. “Itʼs my first time to do this, yʼknow?” He stopped briefly to wipe his eyes at the back of his hand before he went for the next layer. “But y, youʼll be up and ready in no time.”

Ignis choked and gasped as his shoulders finally fell. His hand hovered over his face, uncertain whether to hide his eyes or his mouth. 

“Hey,” Gladioʼs voice cracked when he returned to him, tapping at his chin. “Chin up, handsome. Donʼt move too much, your hair hasnʼt set yet.”

“Forgive me,” Ignis gasped tightly. “I, I just…” He sniffled again, pressing the back of his hand to his nose. “Iʼm just not used to this.” In all the years heʼd known him, after all, he never knew the man to wallow in helplessness. 

Perhaps, until now. And it felt so cruel, like a thousand burning swords in Gladioʼs lungs, that they were given this predicament with no way out. Nothing they could do to reverse it. There was only the promise that this, and the future days, would always bring them sadness and regrets. 

Was it worth it? This sacrifice? This…this duty that has brought them this low, was it worth it? All those years of training, of fighting for the power to protect his king and his friends, nearly at the cost of his own life, all for what? Gods damn it, Ignis couldnʼt even do his hair now! 

Gladio had to stop himself from spiraling down that tunnel of faithlessness before he got lost in his own rage. One blind man in the group was already one too much. He took a break from Ignisʼ hair so he could swallow down his sob and get ahold of his emotions, squeezing his eyes tight to stop the tears from flowing. 

How embarrassing that it had to be Ignis who brought him out of his head, finding his scarred cheek with his hand. “Yeah,” he coughed, sniffling, bringing up a smile to the man who looked to him with one milky eye, tears streaming down his own scar. “Iʼm good. J, just not used to seeing you like this.”

“I should be surprised if you already are,” Ignis tried for humor. “Perhaps…” he gasped between his sniffles. “Perhaps this is a lot harder than Iʼd imagined.”

“Ya think?” Gladio snapped in exasperation, a weary sigh seeping through as he chuckled with the man who struggled to keep up his mood. “You’re a real dick sometimes.”

“Takes one to know one,” Ignis retorted, earning another broken laughter and smile from them both. “If you please, Gladio.”

“Yeah,” Gladio sniffled, nodding. “Iʼm there.”

He hoped he did a perfect job. He doubted he did a perfect job but he hoped, at the very least, it made Ignis feel better. Feel more like himself. 

A prayer he sent off to him when he pressed their foreheads together, taking in his warmth and scent. Lest he forget that despite everything, he was still alive, and with him. When Ignis caressed his scar, he could pretend that everything was still the same. 

“Yeah,” Gladio chuckled. “Still there,” he confirmed. He brushed the back of his fingers so lightly along the raised lines of Ignisʼ gash. “This hurt?”

Ignis nodded. “The surface is still sensitive. It will be some time still, I think, before the skin feels like mine again.”

“I really wish you could tell me what happened, Ignis,” Gladio hissed, frowning at the man who turned away with closed eyes again. “When I saw you, it was silver, with black cracks. Iʼve,” he shook his head, “never seen anything like it. Is it some imperial weapon? Ravus?”

“Ravus had nothing to do with this.” That much, at least, Ignis answered. But for the rest, he only spoke silence. 

Gladio sighed, biting back his impatience. Even for a man of his strength, it was tiring to keep pushing an unmoving wall. And he had better things to do than that. 

He took Ignisʼ hands in his and pressed a kiss on both of them. Gladio cleared his nose with a last sniffle as he gathered up the jar and comb to put away. “Well, youʼre all set.” He stood up. “Promptoʼs bringing our breakfast. I told him to get porridge for you.”

“Thank you, Gladio,” Ignis said. “Porridge sounds good.” It was, anyway, the only thing he was allowed to eat for some more hours. Doctorʼs instructions.

—

That same day, Noctis finally woke up. Ignis had been the one to welcome him and catch him up on the latest tragedy of their journey. Gladio felt sorry for his loss but couldnʼt help but feel heartened for himself despite that. His king had returned. All was not yet lost.

He spoke too soon. It was one thing, after all, for Noctis to regain his consciousness. It was another for him to regain himself. Mind. Heart. Spirit. Whatever. 

Give him some time, Ignis said. Of the three of them, Noctis was the one whose loss was the greatest. Give him some space, Prompto said. Even the Chosen King was only human. 

A week had passed since—but it seemed like the only difference was that Noctis was lucid enough to take food, receive visitors and remain awake. He still refused to leave the room, though. Much less his bed. 

One week. Theyʼve been stuck in that same damned spot for one week, while the world out there was falling to the empire one knee at a time. So much for taking back their home. 

Gladio wondered if Noctis still remembered that promise. To his people…to Talcott, to _them_. To himself! Gladio certainly did. And Ignis and Prompto, too. Hell, even the dead, who gave him so much just so he could be here. So much closer to finally reclaiming the Crystal. His birthright. 

Instead, they couldnʼt move their asses because one of them, who also just so happened to be the King of Lucis, didnʼt want to. At this point, he was seriously considering the merit of sending Prompto out there to finish the job for them. He was a member of the Crownsguard but at least he wasnʼt duty bound to Noctis by the grace of his family. Unlike him and Ignis. Gods, they were wasting time here! 

“Hey Noct,” Gladio called him from his place by the door, putting a hand on his side. “Just so you know, Ignis is ready to go. We all are,” he corrected himself quickly. “Even the royal vesselʼs good.” A few days back, he could still pretend that it was fine for Noctis to wallow in his grief while Cid fixed up his fatherʼs yacht which had been damaged by the empire and Leviathan herself. But even that grace period had since expired. “Just say the word and weʼll be shipping outta here.” 

_If_ he would say anything at all. Noctis didnʼt even look at him, curled in his bed, looking out the window, his and Lunafreyaʼs notebook pressed to his chest. What the hell kind of king was this? 

“Look,” Gladio exhaled, gesturing to Noctisʼ pitiful form. “You’re sad. We get it. But this isnʼt gonna get us any closer to the Crystal and if you—”

“Gladio!” That was Prompto from the corridor. 

His mood shifted in an instant. Before he went up to check on his king, he left Prompto to wait on Ignis who had gone in for a shower. This wasnʼt the first time theyʼd done this and normally, Ignis gave Prompto no problem. 

_Normally._

He doubted Prompto was in a mood for jokes today. The guy liked to lighten things up but he had always been quite sensitive to the circumstances. Gladio left the stirring Noctis in his sheets when he stepped out the room and located the man flailing for him. “Whatʼs wrong?” he asked. 

“Itʼs Ignis,” Prompto wheezed, bracing his hands on his knees to catch his breath. “I, I thought he was spending too long in the shower so I tried to take a look but heʼd locked the door—” Ignis wasnʼt supposed to do that. Theyʼd talked about this and heʼd agreed to keep the door unlocked. 

Gladio pushed past his friend as he bolted down the corridor, buoyed by his panic that something terrible might have happened. He was already yelling Ignisʼ name even before he burst into their hotel room, which was empty except for their things. “Ignis!” he called him again. No response. 

In the bathroom, the shower was still running. 

It only took one shove from his arm to break the door open. Steam had filled up the air from the shower cubicle inside, its glass walls frosted, hiding the man within them. Gladio only found him because that door was left open, at least. 

And he was crying, and bawling, “Noct… _Noct_ …!” He sat at the corner of the cubicle closest to the door, naked and drenched from the angry shower, knees pulled up to his chest. Sharp sobs racked his frame, like a man gasping for air under water. A man who looked completely lost and terrified. 

Heʼd stopped only to whip at Gladioʼs stumbling form when he slipped and connected his forearm and knee to the tiles, the impact echoing proudly. At the very least, he broke his fall, Gladio thought. A fractured limb was the last thing they needed. 

He would pay for that later for sure but for now, Gladio reached inside to pull Ignis by his shoulders and bring him to himself, tucking his face like a babe. Heʼd meant only to comfort him in whatever way he could, but the man only seemed to wail louder now that he had a chest to cry on. Gladio had never seen him like this in all his years of knowing him, dispirited and desperate—and it scared him. Whatever it was that had happened in the Altar, it must have been terrible enough to break a man like Ignis and turn him into a traumatized child. 

What was he supposed to do? “Ignis,” Gladio struggled his name through his breath, “get ahold of yourself!” Panic warred with panic. He tried to keep his voice even but it was hard to pretend he wasnʼt shaking. “Noctʼs fine, heʼs going to be fine!” That was maybe a lie but gods above, what the hell else was he supposed to say?! He rubbed his hand over Ignisʼ biceps in a frantic bid to soothe him but Ignis only choked and shook his head. “Ignis, come on…!” He was begging him. 

Prompto reappeared just then, narrowly avoiding an accident when he caught his balance by the door frame. “Prompto, the shower!” was the first thing Gladio barked to him. 

He was already there, though, stepping through to negotiate the dial until the water had finally stopped.

In a way, it only made things worse. Without the heavy rush of water, the pain had become ripe in Ignisʼ voice, undisguised by the traitorous walls that listened unfeeling. They felt like needles now, digging into Gladioʼs ears and chest. Nothing he did, no soft kisses, no soothing whispers could ease the terror that was chipping at Ignis. He only pulled Gladio closer by the opening of his jacket, fists shaking. 

“Itʼs gonna be okay, yeah?” he tried to reassure him but even Gladio didnʼt believe himself. But he just wanted Ignis to stop and calm down. “Thingsʼll work out for us. Cʼmere.” Somehow he managed to pull the man to his lap so he could lay kisses along his moles, his lips, his wounds. Ignis tried to catch him but between his sobs, he was always gasping for breath. Worse still, he couldnʼt see Gladio no matter how closely he looked into his pearly iris. No comfort from his kisses and his words, not even the least bit of it from his eyesight. 

This was cruel. The gods were cruel. What did they do to deserve this? They only wanted what was rightfully theirs. 

“Here.” Gladio cleared his throat, sniffling as he pulled off his jacket and draped it over Ignisʼ shoulders. He was still shaking, his better eye on Gladioʼs chest but unseeing. “Put this on.” Ignis nodded, pulling his fatigue tighter. 

He was raking his fingers over Ignisʼ wet locks when he noticed the towel being held out to him. Prompto had returned to pass it, looking away from a pair of loversʼ private comfort. 

Gladio couldnʼt mutter his thanks yet as he took it. If Ignis couldnʼt see Prompto, then it might be better for him not to know their friend was there, at all. He unfurled it and wore it over Ignisʼ head like a veil so he could dry his hair. Like a parent to his child. 

“Want somethinʼ to drink?” he offered Ignis while he dabbed the towel gently on his scar to dry his tears. “Want some water? Coffee?” He looked up to Prompto. 

Prompto turned just then to catch his look, jumped slightly when he caught the message and hurried out to deliver. So much for secrecy. 

But Ignis wasnʼt saying anything about it. Instead, an uncertain hand only climbed up to search for his face. 

Found his lips and made its way to his scarred cheek from there so his thumb could trace it. 

“Noct,” Ignis croaked, sniffling slightly. His hand rose along the carved line on his face. “Whereʼs Noct?”

“Heʼs in his room,” Gladio answered. Moping, he thought. Stagnating, wasting away his life. Their time, his peopleʼs hope. Ignis ought to stop treating him like a child. “Heʼs in bed,” he said instead. 

Ignis nodded, pulling his hand down, this time to look for Gladioʼs chest scar. Gladio wanted to carry his fingers to it but was worried he might crack open the dam and Ignis would start crying again. 

They didnʼt say anything more. Until Prompto came back with Ignisʼ coffee, they stayed there, on the wet floor. Gladio watching the blind man trace his image in his head by his hands.

—

He couldnʼt leave Ignisʼ side after that.

It wasnʼt only that he didnʼt want to, but even Prompto had disallowed it. 

Or that is to say, strongly suggested and hoped against it. “Noct isnʼt the only guy who needs our help, after all,” was his long-winded explanation as they sat on the steps between the king and his servant. “W, we gotta look after Ignis, too.” The guy had balls of steel but he wasnʼt used to wearing them yet. 

Prompto had put on a brave face (which also made him look constipated) when he said, “H, how about I look after Noct today?” That was where he left Gladio to fill up the rest of his sentence. 

It was tiring work. Even though Ignis wasnʼt as distant…and disaffected as Noctis was, he was still different from the man he was used to. Constantly withdrawn, one moment asking questions and musing plans loudly, the next sitting quietly in the company of his own thoughts. Gladio let him sleep for as much as he wanted—because unlike a certain supposed king, Ignis was still sacrificing himself for this…this lost cause. 

And that only made him bitter towards his liege. Did they ask too much? Was this the price the gods were charging them for fighting back against their oppressors? And here he thought they were on their side in the war against the empire. If he only knew this was the price of their blessings… 

If he only knew this was the price of his prayers, then Gladio wouldnʼt have asked for their intercession. When he asked them, asked Gilgamesh to give him the power to do his duty and protect Noctis, he should have known that they would grant his request by turning Noctis into a shell of what he should be. No difficulty protecting a man who refused to move, after all. He remembered, too, that heʼd prayed to the gods that Noctis wouldnʼt be the last king of Lucis. 

King? What king? All he saw was a selfish man who took everything for granted just because he suffered. All the pain they caused and had been caused to them, all the sacrifices that had cost them more than they bargained for…what the hell were they all for? 

Ignis shifted beside him and stirred awake. Night time had fallen early for them again, though Gladio couldnʼt help but wonder if being unable to see the light had affected Ignisʼ body rhythm, as well. 

Though for him, there was no difference. Even as Ignis slept, he lied awake next to him, stuck in his own thoughts, unreachable by the peace in Ignisʼ face and breathing. He was only ever distracted from them whenever Ignis should open his eye, that disconcerting white pupil seeking out a presence he knew was there just next to him in the same bed. Would he ever get used to this? Or would he keep wishing for the softness of the green eyes which heʼd lost? 

“Gladio?” Ignis asked, as he always did. 

If anything, it always made him smile. “Right here,” he answered him. “In the flesh.”

Ignis smiled back. His hand sought him out and rested easily on his left cheek. Ever since he woke up blind, he became keener for his scars. Gladio had joked that it was because it made them equal now, but he knew it was because the familiarity of it gave the blind man comfort. 

“Sleep well?”

“As well as I could manage,” Ignis sighed. “Itʼs strange now, to see things when you are asleep but not when you are awake. I saw your face in my dream, at least.” He smiled. “And have missed it.”

Gladio wanted to say he missed his eyes, too, but stopped himself. He placed a hand on Ignisʼ unwounded cheek to caress it lightly with his thumb. 

“Blindness is a strange affliction,” Ignis shared suddenly. “I feel like Iʼm always on edge, always seeking out awareness of everything. Your breathing sounds louder, and your hand feels rougher. Even though Iʼve always known it to be so.”

“Keep this up and you might actually hear what Iʼm thinking, too,” Gladio chuckled. 

Ignis grinned back softly. “I do not need powers to know, Gladio. I know you are thinking about tomorrow.”

“Says who?” 

“Your breathing hasnʼt changed,” Ignis explained. “Sometimes I wake up but pretend Iʼm asleep by keeping my eyes closed. And not once did I hear it ease.” His hand slipped a little lower to feel his beard. “Which means that youʼve stayed awake all this time. And why else could that be?”

Gladio sighed, shaking his head. “You havenʼt changed one bit, Scientia.”

Ignis smiled brighter, making Gladioʼs heart beat faster. A rare sight. It shouldnʼt have been. “Iʼm relieved,” he said. “And I see that Iʼm right.” Well, he wasnʼt…

But Gladio also thought that he was—he _should_ have been thinking about tomorrow instead of his own anger. “Ignis,” he began, “are you sure about tomorrow?”

With a serious expression, Ignis nodded. After heʼd broken down in the shower and then calmed down, he asked to see Noctis which brought them all to the kingʼs room. He was still a mess, a pallid ghost of his old self, but at least he was already sitting up. Though his throne was made of pillows and a bedsheet. 

That was when Noctis asked if they could leave tomorrow. But Gladio couldnʼt help but think it was only because he felt guilty towards Ignis, his oldest friend among them, and because the next leg would take them through Tenebrae—home of the late Oracle. So nothing had changed at all. Noctis was only still thinking of nothing but his conscience and himself. 

“I will remain with you,” Ignis told Gladio. “Do not let my condition stop us.”

“Ignis, itʼs not gonna be easy for you.” Gladio felt ridiculous that he had to remind him of this but then again, Ignis was stubborn, right? “And Iʼm not just talkinʼ about you not seeing where youʼre going…but you gotta be realistic, youʼre in no state to fight or to look after anyone. Everything we learned back in Lucis…” He shook his head. “I dunno if theyʼre gonna be much help.”

“Then we will adapt,” Ignis decided easily. “We have always adapted to whatever has been demanded of us.”

“But this ainʼt just about duty anymore,” Gladio persisted, though he kept his voice and his touch soft. “Dutyʼs just…for courts and palaces. Where weʼre going…” He let out a weighty sigh, tracing the shape of Ignisʼ cheek under his pale eye. “Itʼs war. Itʼs the heart of the empire.”

“I agree,” Ignis insisted. “Which is why I will not leave my brother at this point of our fight. Nor my king,” he pressed his right hand over Gladioʼs left, “nor the man who has never left my side. Always there, when I come looking and calling for him.” Except for when he became blind. 

Gladio was trembling again when he breathed, pressing his eyes shut tightly. “If I had been with you, you wouldnʼt have gotten blind.”

“If you did, we would be in a worse state, Gladio,” Ignis returned. “What sort of protector will you be if you cannot see your enemies?”

“What sort of protector _am I_?” Gladio snarled. “Who or what am I still protecting here? I thought we had a king!”

“We _will_ have a king, Gladio,” Ignis insisted, his hand slipping back to his nape. “This…” His eyes fell lower. “This one I know.” Did he? Or was this faith and duty speaking again? But if he did say he knew, then…

Then why did he seem so sad…? 

“Ignis…” Gladio whispered but stopped when Ignis shook his head. 

“In time,” was all Ignis said, hand slipping down his shoulders to pull at him. Gladio knew what that meant and shifted closer to him. “In time,” he whispered again. 

They wound their arms around each other, while Ignis curled up a little to put his ear on Gladioʼs chest. Gladio pressed a kiss on his hair, pulling him closer. In time, he said. In time, they would have a king. 

Gladio was so weary of waiting, hanging by the frayed ends of his faith.


	15. Chapter 15

They pulled out of Cartanica Station shortly after sunset, convening in the dining car for an early dinner while they still had seats. For the most part, everything felt a little closer to normal—just four friends on a road trip, trying to escape notice. 

Gladio took his leave shortly after some coffee, mentioning their shopping bags of curatives as if he was waving a ticket. He clapped Prompto on the shoulder just as he headed out. 

Inside their budget room, he did nothing except to sit on Ignisʼ lower bunk, flexing his fists, deep in thought. Things may seem closer to normal now but that didnʼt mean it was right. They shouldnʼt be pretending that they could just wing it, and yet everyone wanted to push on. Just like normal. 

The door slid open. Ignis caught him smacking a fist to his palm. Gladio looked up to where he stood. 

“They still at the restaurant?” he asked. Ignis nodded. “Okay,” Gladio said, getting up from the bed to gesture Ignis to it. “Get some sleep. Iʼll just be out—”

“Gladio,” Ignis stopped him just as he passed him towards the open door. “Might I have a word with you?”

Gladio tried to silence his huff. He tossed his hands up a little. “Sure. Iʼll save us a seat in the passenger car.”

“Alone,” Ignis added. “In private.”

That meant being stuck in the same cramped space as him. Something that should have made him happy, but not in these circumstances. He knew the kind of talk that was coming. 

Gladio didnʼt bother to hide his objection now. He moved heavily, clicking his tongue and all, when he set the _Do not disturb_ sign on the door and pulled it shut. He was sighing again, long and dramatic, when he turned around and faced Ignis who was finding his place on his own bunk, setting his walking staff next to his knee. “I know what youʼre gonna do,” he said, crossing his arms, his weight on the wall and the bunk bed behind him. “You’re gonna convince me again that Noct will be king only when heʼs ready.”

“And yet you are still uncertain,” Ignis observed, turning to his direction. He put his hands on his knee, legs crossed, shoulders squared. Except for the dark glasses, he looked just the way he did before. 

“Uncertain,” Gladio repeated that word. He laughed, grinning at the wall to his side like it was a friend in an inside joke. “Ignis,” he spread his arms, “I donʼt fucking know what weʼre doing anymore.” Ignis frowned at his choice of words and tone. “Itʼs one thing to know where weʼre going but itʼs a completely different thing to know how weʼre gonna get there! Not everything can be fixed by blind faith!”

Ignis laughed humorlessly. “I may be blind now but my faith is most definitely not.”

“That why you almost got yourself killed out there?” Gladio spat. “Gods dammit, Ignis, you know I told you to stay back. You know I told you it would be too dangerous,” he snarled, digging a finger at his direction. “If it hadnʼt been for Prompto, you would have been crushed by that lobster!”

“I will make no excuses about that,” Ignis hissed, showing his teeth. “But let that not be an excuse for you to take me out of this journey!”

“I canʼt, can I?!” Gladio shouted. He whipped his arm out to the sealed door. “Weʼre already heading for Tenebrae! Weʼre literally oceans away from home! Gods dammit, if youʼd only listened to me, you could have _stayed_ in Altissia where you would have been safe!”

“Safe.” Ignis nodded, frowning deeply. “But misplaced. You cannot keep me away from Noctʼs side.”

“Shit,” Gladio hissed, grabbing his eyes by a hand as he paced in a tight circle. Ignis was supposed to be the logical one between them but why isnʼt he facing up to reality?! “Ignis…Ignis, this isnʼt about…performing your duty to Noct, anymore. This is bigger and worse than that!”

“And you are surely here just to enjoy the view, are you not?” Ignis seethed. “Gladiolus Amicitia, the _Shield_ of the King!”

Gladio warned him with a finger. “Donʼt you pull my family into this.”

“We have no choice, Gladio!” Ignis barked. “You and I are born into this, just as Noct is born into the throne as the Chosen King.”

“And thatʼs supposed to make your death fair?” Gladio roared. “Gods dammit, have you gone deaf, too? Do you hear yourself? You dying isnʼt gonna make Noct the kind of king heʼs supposed to be!”

“He _will_ be king!”

“ _When_ heʼs ready, _once_ heʼs ready!” Gladio burst out with the old words used to protect the not-quite king. He breathed in deeply as he raked his hair up, while Ignis shook his heavy head, brows crumpled behind his dark glasses. “ _Will_ be king,” he added after a pause. “You said it yourself—he isnʼt ready yet. Heʼll never be ready in time for us—”

“He _will_ be ready at the proper time.”

“And when the hell is that?!” Gladio demanded, whipping his hand at Ignis. “When youʼre dead? When weʼre _all_ dead?” Ignis flinched, turning away from the strike of his words. “Dammit, Ignis, you lost your eyesight, not your head. Why are you so hung up on some damn prophecy—”

“ _Because I saw it!!_ ”

Gladio had never expected that outburst to come from Ignis, of all people. For a second there, he felt too stunned to breathe, while Ignis shifted uneasily on his bed, wrestling with how upset he must have felt. His left hand hovered uncertainly over his scar. What…what did he say again…

“You what?” he asked warily. 

Ignis breathed hard, pulling his floating hand down to his other oneʼs grip. His attention, he nailed to some random spot on the floor near him. “I saw him. On the throne. It was a vision from the Messenger in the Altar of the Tidemother, as I was looking for Noct.”

“What are you talking about?” Gladio took a careful step closer. “Gentiana showed you a vision?”

“Not Gentiana,” Ignis said, shaking his head. “It was Pryna. One of Lady Lunafreyaʼs dogs. When I saw her, she collapsed from her wounds and burst out into light.” He dipped his head again. “That…was when she showed me the vision.”

“Of Noct on the throne,” Gladio supplied, to which Ignis nodded. That was…it was good news. Finally. Some certainty in these trying times. 

He took another step closer. He had to clench his fists before he let his nerves get the better of him. Gladio breathed in, willing for his anxious heart to calm down. He could barely hear himself thinking with his pulse filling his ears. Something wasnʼt right. Something didnʼt feel right. Things were rarely this easy and simple. 

“What happens next?” he ventured, clenching his teeth. 

Ignis looked up to him. “He will gain a power more incredible than that of the Six. He will become the King of Kings who will banish the darkness by the Light of the Crystal.” He frowned. “But a blood price must be paid on the throne.” It couldnʼt be—

“His own,” Gladio choked, the truth of the vision hitting him like a glaive, steel in the face and all. “His own life.” That was the catch. 

He couldnʼt believe that was real. What if Ignis had allowed his injuries to affect his memories? Then again, why would he lie or joke about something like this? He would never, and most especially not at the expense of his royal charge. There was nothing funny about this, nothing even remotely acceptable. 

For a second there, he forgot why he was standing so close to Ignis who looked at their feet. Breathing became a foreign idea. What was supposed to do again? 

Gladio tried to speak, then laughed, smiling as he shook his head. “That,” he tried again. “Thatʼs funny…” He felt uneasy. “A, are…” Was he sure? Ignis turned away. He changed his mind. “O, our Noct?”

Ignis nodded. “He wears the ring in the vision, calling forth the power of the kings to his side.” His hand started to reach for his scar again. 

Gladio took notice of it now. He tossed his hand to Ignis. “That how you got it?”

Ignis shook his head. “This was the blood price I paid to save Noctʼs life. Before you arrived at the Altar, the chancellor had come first.” _The chancellor._

“That bastard Ardyn?!” Gladio shifted closer again. 

Ignis nodded. “He took me by surprise with his…strange magic. I…” He looked up to Gladioʼs direction. “I thought he was you…he looked and sounded like you…” He shook his head. “But moved wickedly.” _Him?_ Wha— how… 

Gladio looked down at his own hands, as if he was starting to doubt himself, too. He never knew what had happened in the Altar, but he didnʼt know to expect this either. A scuffle, an accident involving a debris, or a large fire or a friendly one maybe but… 

“Ravus was the one who found him out when he was about to use your appearance to slay him,” Ignis continued. He dropped his gaze again to their feet. “By then, it was too late. When the chancellor showed his true self, the imperial soldiers had come and I was held down and knocked out briefly. When I came to, he had a dagger next to Noctʼs neck…” 

It almost felt like he was asking for Gladioʼs understanding when he raised his face again and told him, “I didnʼt know what to do! I was at my witʼs end and the ring was there.”

“You wore the ring to save Noctʼs life,” Gladio sputtered. Unbelievable. He knew about the ring from all those books and courtly talks and he knew how powerful and cruel it could be. But for it to hit so hard this close… 

That Ignis survived the judgment of the ring…maybe the gods truly were kind… 

Ignis touched the tips of his fingers to his scar. “So you see, it was not Niflheim magic that caused this…but Lucian magic.”

“Have you told Noct about this?”

Ignis shook his head. “I dare not tell him. Not at this state of him.” He turned up to him again. “I dared not tell anyone but you. As the kingʼs sole protector—”

“ _Sole_ protector?” Gladio spat. 

“You have said it yourself and you have seen it,” Ignis cut him, fingers woven tight in his fist. “I can no longer fight as I used to, I can no longer protect him the way I used to! The Crystal required a sacrifice to save the king and it saw me. It cannot be you because your calling lies differently from mine!”

“So Iʼm just gonna stand here and watch everyone I love around me get hurt and die?!” Gladio exploded, stumbling back as he swung his arm out in an angry circle. He jabbed himself on his chest. “Iʼm the one whoʼs supposed to be getting hurt to protect you all!”

“Have you not considered,” Ignis laughed suddenly, grinning without mirth, “that your sacrifice may never be mortal? You could have been killed in the Crown City during the attack, you could have been slaughtered in the Tempering Grounds and yet here you stand…you could have taken my place in the Altar had you stood at the wrong side of the bridge—”

“So the Crystal keeps saving my ass because of my job,” Gladio scowled. “Is that what Iʼm supposed to believe?”

“Gladio, this is no longer just your job,” Ignis said, asking him to listen to him. “This is your place in this world, to deliver the king to his duty!” 

“What duty?!” Gladio pointed to the corner behind him. “To sit on that damn throne as the final sacrifice? To be the—” Last King of Lucis. 

The way the words echoed in his head, Gladio almost believed that Gilgamesh stood in the same room as them, but that was just his own memories playing tricks on him. No, not tricks… 

How could the Founder Kingʼs Shield and the Oracleʼs vision both speak of one truth? Unless… 

“Oh gods,” Gladio whispered when his knees gave in, the wind knocked out of his lungs as he stared unseeing at the room. Ignisʼ staff slipped and landed sharply on the floor while he shifted closer and searched the air for him. “Oh gods, he was telling the truth,” he gasped. 

“Who is?” Ignis asked. He felt sick. “Gladio, where are you?”

“When Gilgamesh gave me his blessing,” Gladio mumbled, facing Ignis when he found him by his gloved hand and descended carefully in front of him, “he told me that the Last King of Lucis—”

“I remember,” Ignis cut him before he could recite the curse. Under his shades, Gladio thought heʼd opened his eyes wide—both of them—in his own surprise. “So it has always been known…?”

“But they just never bothered to tell us?” Gladio growled under his breath, his own hands rising to meet Ignisʼ elbows. “Until now? Gods dammit, is this fair?!”

“Would that I knew what to say,” Ignis hissed, his voice shaking with his breath. “Would that I have different words to use!”

“Noct has to know about this,” Gladio sputtered to him, choking down his tremors. “He has to…we have to—” He started up for the door—

“Do you _think_ I havenʼt tried?” Ignis snarled, grabbing him by the strap of his shirt to yank him back down to his knees. “Do you think I would not ask him to reconsider this journey? Because thatʼs what I did in Altissia, Gladio!” He breathed in sharply. “I told him that there have been too many losses!” He shook his head. “But he would not listen. He wanted only to honor the sacrifices that were made for him.”

“So if he knew about what was gonna happen to him…” Gladio started after his friend. Ignis refused to continue his line of thought, however. He only dropped his head and his hand in dejection. They both knew how it would end. 

“As many have sacrificed for the king,” Ignis mumbled instead, “so too must the king sacrifice himself for all. That…that was what the vision said.” And that was exactly what Noctis would do, knowing him. 

How was any of this fair? Gladio didnʼt mind the sacrifice as long as it would protect Noctis. But knowing now that all his sacrifices had a price of their own…! 

“So weʼre just,” Gladio gasped, gritting his teeth on his tears, “so weʼre just going to pretend that this is still some justifiable cause? Am I supposed to think Iʼm still protecting a king and not some pig for slaughter?!”

“Gladio!” Ignis cried, grasping him by his ears in some confused way to stop himself from listening. “Donʼt say that,” he hissed, losing to the weight of his tears when he dropped his face. “Donʼt ever call him that again…!”

“Itʼs not my fault!” Gladio growled behind his teeth, rubbing the tears from his eyes. “Ignis, you know that all I wanted was a king. All I wanted was for Noct to be king and to protect him!” He shook his head. “I wanted him to save us all and live on to see his work…!”

“I wanted the same,” Ignis followed him, nodding. “I wanted us all to grow old together but it has never been about what we wanted. Noct isnʼt only king to us.” He was a king to a great, many more people. People who need him more than they did, people whose hopes laid only on him. 

Ignis wrapped his arms around him as Gladio pulled him to his chest for a tight embrace, so that they could share their sorrows. He buried his face behind his loverʼs shoulders, then, and cried, mourning for a loss that was soon to come. An idealist might say…that they ought to be grateful for the time they were given in this planet to be together. But if they had to live out a future at peace without their Noct…Gladio couldnʼt see how he could still be thankful for such an empty promise.


	16. Chapter 16

But as with visions and dreams, much of it could still be left for interpretation. For instance, what if it was a hypothetical death? What if Noctis was the last king of Lucis but the first king of a new nation? What if instead of a glimpse of the future, it was a warning of a possibility? What if this, what if that… 

Sometimes, they liked to believe their fantasies. Others, they knew better than to fool themselves. 

In these dark times, though, Gladio wondered which choice was better. Time…seemed endless now, and waking up from dreams yielded them no relief. Only reminders of what had been and what more theyʼd lost along the way: mornings in Lucis, long road trips in the heat of the sun, camping under the stars. All of them together. Now, daylight was scarce and the nights were growing longer. And Prompto… 

Prompto—they still didnʼt know where Prompto was. 

Ignis had figured that with Ardynʼs involvement and Promptoʼs lack of communication, their friend was possibly already waiting for them in Gralea, but even that was just his best guess. For all they knew, Prompto could have lost his phone, his signal…his memories, whatever, and he was still back out there, waiting to be saved with no way to reach them. 

What could they do, though? They couldnʼt go back and look, theyʼd already come so far…following a plan they werenʼt even sure would work. They were just hoping against hope that everything they needed would be waiting for them in the empire. If not… 

Gladio snarled under his breath, rubbing the sleep from his eyes with his fingers. So many things they didnʼt know, so little they had going. Heʼd come out to the dining car in the hopes of finding an escape in this endless train ride but there was nothing anymore that could distract him from the sound of his own thoughts. 

Nor the heavy darkness that followed them just beyond the windows, impenetrable for as far as the eyes could see. With nothing to show of the natural world or the passing of time…heʼd never felt so disconnected in all his life… 

It was disorienting, to say the least. Losing your ground, feeling misplaced but without missing gravity. Floating but not quite so lightly…it was hard to describe, something not even all the books heʼd ever read could succeed in. 

If there was anyone here who could do it, it was probably Ignis, he thought. Gladio got up to his feet, then, snatching his hip flask from the table and turned back to their cabin. 

Along the way, he met Noctis as he stepped out of one of the smaller connecting cars to pass him. He made a little note of greeting with a wave of his hand. 

Gladio nodded. “All right?” he asked. 

“I guess,” Noctis mumbled, sulking a little as he so often did these dark days. Maybe Gladio would have said something about that in the past but there was nothing quite as relatable like it anymore. “I know I shouldnʼt but I canʼt stop thinking about Prompto. Iʼm worried about him.”

“So are Ignis and I,” Gladio sympathized, clapping the king on his shoulder. “I know it doesnʼt look like weʼre doing anything right now but every second we spend in this train brings us a lot closer to finding out about him.” At least thatʼs what he liked to tell himself, and at least Noctis nodded. 

Since the last time they had a falling out, theyʼd been in better terms with each other. Gladio tried his best to be more understanding towards the younger man and his burdens, and he thought Noctis himself had grown a little more into their situation. Still quiet and withdrawn for the most part but the questions that he asked, his presence in the group…Gladio wondered if he was just being too kind to him now but he never saw the younger him, or the one in Altissia being quite as assertive as he was in the present. It was a good change, for once. 

Or perhaps, it was just the vision talking… 

“Thanks, Gladio.” Noctis struck him sloppily on his biceps. “Ignis is in the cabin.”

“Got it. You?” He wondered if he should go with him, just to keep an eye on him. Do his duty and all. 

Noctis gestured behind Gladio. “Just a change of view.” But what was he going to protect him against? Boredom? Ghosts? There hadnʼt been any attempts in his life since they left Tenebrae and if there ever came daemons, he knew Noctis would be strong enough to deal with them until he or Ignis came. Besides, with the way he knew his king, he knew his added presence would only do him little good. Noctis so often wanted to be alone because he needed the time and space, though he never rejected anyone who asked to share it… 

“Just yell when you need us,” Gladio said, raising his hand. 

Noctis nodded again and smacked his palm with his fist. Gladio stepped aside to let him through. 

He cracked the cabin door open just to see the situation inside. Ignis was in his bunk, asleep with an arm over his eyes. 

So much for company, Gladio thought as he slipped through. He was hoping he could indulge himself with the manʼs company as an alternative to his earlier escape but even that would have to wait. Since the last stop, after all, he had less and less reason to stay up for long: no car to drive, no meals to prep, no hunt, no strangers to eavesdrop on, no eyesight to read anything with… 

“Did you see Noct?”

Gladio might have hiccuped in his surprise to hear the voice. Hands and foot on the ladder leading up to his bunk, he turned around to see Ignis now facing him, though he kept his eyes shut. “Yeah, I did. What the hell, how the hell did you know it was me?”

“Heavy footsteps, even breathing,” Ignis explained. He pointed somewhere to his side. “Also Noct sleeps in the bunk next to me.”

“Okay, thatʼs fair,” Gladio snorted, getting off the steel steps. Well, since Ignis was already awake, might as well… 

“You getting the hang of it, then?” Even though they both knew he was asking about Ignisʼ eyesight and lack thereof, Gladio still couldnʼt bring himself to be blatant about it. He sat on the side of the flat bunk just as Ignis shifted further into the wall, nodding. 

“Perhaps,” he said, “though much work is left to be done. I know the sound of your and Noctʼs movements and not much else.” Ignis reached for him. “Sometimes…sometimes I like to think I could tell Prompto by the sound of his, as well. But it has been quite some time since I put my memory to the test.”

Gladio watched that handʼs progress in the air, first swinging one way and then hovering to another. He didnʼt know what it wanted but he knew that he shouldnʼt get in its way either. Taking it by the hand, literally, wouldnʼt help Ignis sharpen his changed senses. 

But he would still keep talking to guide him. “Donʼt think youʼll need much skill to point out Prompto,” he laughed lightly. The hand moved closer to him again. “Just look out for the noisy guy who never stays still.”

“Ah, of course,” Ignis replied with his own smile. “Though I suppose…thatʼs what makes the void of his absence worse to take.” Void. That was a good word to talk about Promptoʼs disappearance, all right. “We three have been…too quiet without him,” was his somber observation. “And I worry about him and Noct.”

“Not much else to do these days ‘cept for worrying,” Gladio shared. 

“And there is much of it to be done,” Ignis agreed. His hand finally alighted over Gladioʼs forearm and the thigh he rested it on, climbing a little higher until he could get a good grip of his arm bone. 

A smile broke through his serious expression, then. “Found you.”

“Ten out of ten,” Gladio congratulated him with a soft chuckle, patting that hand on his arm while he bent low to kiss him on his lips. 

Even this one, Ignis had finally learned to anticipate. The first few times heʼd tried, it always took Ignis by surprise and left both of them feeling awkward—Gladio because he thought he was being too forward and callous with his friend, Ignis because he said he should have expected that. He apologized once for being too self-absorbed but Gladio wouldnʼt have it. He always gave Ignis a lot of leeway because he knew how hard he worked to overcome his difficulties. 

Double standards, he knew, but he liked to think heʼd come a long way from where he started. 

“Scoot over,” he said, as if Ignis still had room to spare in that utilitarian bunk but anyway, Gladio was already putting himself beside him and squeezing his bulk in. 

For whatever it was worth, it made Ignis smile brighter. Probably because it made it easier for him to find his face when they were this close to each other. “Much better,” he breathed. 

“You missed this?” Gladio chuckled, pulling Ignis closer to him with a hand on his back so that they were belly to belly. 

And Ignis could crook his leg over Gladioʼs to bring them closer still, just as he nodded. “More than I realized,” he confessed. “Strange…these days, weʼve had more time to ourselves than we know what to do with but never once laid together like this.” He was right. In fact the last time they did… 

They were still in Altissia, and perhaps a little worse off than they were now, though Gladio couldnʼt be sure either. Theyʼd been complete, then, but weary and stuck in a limbo with nothing to do with their hands. Now there were just three of them, but they were braver now and moving forward. Still with nothing to do with their hands. 

Still unsettled by a pervading sense of dread—about Prompto and the future… 

“Probably too deep in our own heads,” Gladio mused. “Still getting the hang of…everything thatʼs happened.”

“I suppose youʼre right,” Ignis agreed, touching Gladioʼs lips by the tips of his fingers. “In a way, itʼs like what they always say…we never truly know what we have until weʼve lost it.”

“Been thinkinʼ about that a lot, hm?”

Ignis nodded, tracing his lower lip with his thumb. 

Gladio smiled slightly at that, now drawing circles on the small of Ignisʼ back. “Well, we still have this. We havenʼt lost it yet.” Noctis was still with them, too, but he refused to mention his kingʼs name. Not with how it could evoke such fragile emotions. 

“Just a part of it,” Ignis added, opening his pearly eye. His left one remained fused shut by the scar, though there were times when he would catch him working it open. Just to practice. If he looked onward, Gladio could pretend that they were looking at each other, as they always did when they were so close. “I miss the color of your eyes, Gladio. Or the way they would look at me, how they make me feel,” he confessed, stroking along his beard with an idle thumb. “But I will not be ungrateful that you are still here, and I can still feel and hear you.”

“That makes two of us,” Gladio chuckled, smiling closely at him, just before he pressed his kisses onto Ignisʼ eye, his scar and the one on his nose. 

Ignis had just enough time to exhale his name before Gladio sealed him with his mouth, and they seized each other in their arms. It was like setting off a spark that had been waiting within both of them, banishing the darkness of their days, of Ignisʼ blindness to put them back in the familiarity of each otherʼs warmth and glow. Grounding him. 

With his eyes closed, the feverish tremor of excitement rising from his belly, Gladio remembered how it used to be between them. It seemed so long ago, but they moved as if it was only yesterday. Ignis still wanted him, breaking their kiss only to catch his breath before he dove right back in with his tongue, and the joy of it was enough embolden Gladio to grind himself against his pelvis. The boldest heʼd been since Ignisʼ injury. In fact, this was the closest theyʼd dared to be since that day in Altissia. So much has changed since. 

But not this one. Even now, Ignis filled their mouths with his moan as he responded with his own forward thrust. Like before, he shuddered under his touch when Gladio freed his shirt from his trousers and slipped his hand in through his back. They locked their legs and danced together, sending out a pleasant shiver along his cock and his ass. 

“Ignis,” he whispered closely to his loverʼs ear. That same hand from the back slipped down to cup the shape of his ass and squeeze it. Ignis moaned again and he whispered once more: “ _Ignis._ ”

“It affects me differently now,” Ignis sighed, craning his chin up to feel Gladioʼs mouth on his neck as he slipped lower. His fingers were wound tightly into Gladioʼs hair again, like they used to, keeping him selfishly in place. “Thereʼs so much of you in that voice, Gladio. So much of your heart. I never realized…”

“Guess I changed, too, huh?” Gladio chuckled into his skin, working the tedious buttons of his shirt free with just one hand while the other arm was still looped around Ignisʼ back. “Everythingʼs different these days.” Everything was wrong. 

Ignis shook his head. “Not everything,” he said, rolling his outer shoulder when Gladio pulled one side of his collar over it. “You’re still here.” He shuddered when Gladio ran a long tongue over the fold of his armpit to the curve of his shoulder. “With me. The way weʼve always found each other all this time.” He shifted onto his back. 

“What?” Gladio grinned slightly, following his cue into a more familiar position. “Think I found a new place I gotta be?” With one of his nipples freed, he could finally rub it under the pads of his fingers, sending a jolt straight up to Ignisʼ back. “Even if I did, you think I wonʼt just gravitate back to you? We tried that before. You and I…” He applied a wet tongue and a kiss over his nipple. Ignis started softly with a gasp. “We just keep coming home to each other.”

“Home,” Ignis groaned, the ghost of a smile on his face as he rolled his hips against Gladioʼs, stirring him into the right ache. “How I miss it,” he sighed. What a concept, too, he thought. “Will you remind me what it feels like tonight, Gladio?” Ignis asked. 

Gladio had just laid a kiss on his chest, then, when he looked up to Ignis as if to come up for air. What Ignis had just voiced out…he wouldnʼt say he hadnʼt been thinking about it tonight—or at all since his injury in Altissia, in fact. Worried that he might feel…taken advantage of due to his blindness, among others, Gladio had consciously put the idea away from his head. But …to hear it out loud now…from the man himself… 

He carried himself higher to meet Ignis with his face. Both his eyes were open, then. Lightly, he brushed a strand of his hair away from his scarred brow, left a kiss on it. 

With their foreheads pressed, Gladio told him, “It might be different. It wonʼt be exactly the way we used to do things.” Ignis would no longer be able to watch being made love to, or to trace the lines of his Crest like he used to. So much of their libido and turn-ons were hinged on sight and despite what he felt about Ignis…he had to admit, he was a little uncertain about what this side of their relationship would look like at a time of darkness. 

Ignis shook his head. “As long as itʼs you, I donʼt mind.” A sentiment theyʼd both always shared, but that was before the light started fading. His hand came up to his unflawed cheek. “Besides, weʼve been away from home for too long, Iʼll take any reminder of it—even if itʼs sloppy.” Typical Ignis. 

“Whoʼs sloppy!” Gladio demanded, though it felt good to be laughing together again, even if it felt too brief. They used to be able to go on for hours, just teasing and laughing and kissing. The world back then used to be right… 

Well, wasnʼt that why they were out here, lost in the dark? He nodded, letting Ignis feel the movement on his forehead. “Iʼll take you home tonight,” he promised.

—

No preambles, no foreplay. So near each other and so far away from Lucis, they both knew what they wanted.

Gladio took care of all their clothes, pulling Ignisʼ shirt free through his shoulders and yanking his bottoms down to his thighs while they held onto each other with their mouths. There was a minute of frustration between the both of them when Gladio couldnʼt drag those trousers free from Ignisʼ legs despite his kicking but after they managed, he did quick work on his fatigues and was soon on top of Ignis, kissing his neck again. 

“My bag,” Ignis groaned, swirling his hips under Gladio where his cock might feel him. “Itʼs under this bunk. In the main compartment—”

“I know where to find it,” Gladio assured him with a kiss on his cheek. “Give me both your hands.”

Ignis offered them. 

Those palms, he carried them to his pectorals to give Ignis something to feel while he was rooting around for his lube. His fingers had already found their way down his abs when Gladio finally pulled the bottle of lube free from one of those pockets stitched to the fabric. “Give me your right.”

Ignis obeyed. Gladio cracked the bottle open and squeezed a pea-sized amount onto his reaching palm just to let him know what it was. “Okay?” he asked, massaging it onto the lines of his hand. 

Ignis was smiling brightly as he nodded. “If I knew you were going to be this careful with me, I would have asked for this sooner.”

“Iʼve never had sex with a blind person before,” Gladio admitted, though that really wasnʼt much of a confession. “All I know is that…I donʼt wanna scare you, yʼknow?” He poured more lube into that same hand and raised himself slightly as he guided it to his waiting cock. “We got more than enough things in our heads to scare us these days.”

“What a true gentleman,” Ignis laughed, and when heʼd wrapped his fingers along Gladioʼs girth, he brightened up like daylight. “And here you are,” he said, stroking along his length. A pleasant shiver climbed up to Gladioʼs belly. He had to stymie his own noise despite the smile in his face. “My…why donʼt I remember you being this big?”

“Thatʼs cute coming from you,” Gladio snickered, now coating his own right hand with lube. Though he wouldnʼt say it wasnʼt…a nice reaction. A perfect match, in fact, to those long fingers refamiliarizing themselves to his flesh which they used to know so well. But it didnʼt take much longer for Ignis to remember how he liked to pincer the base of his cock, or how he liked to slide his palm along the top of his shaft while his thumb followed the sensitive line under his flesh, and later rubbed circles along his head. 

Which always sent Gladioʼs ass jumping while he bit back a moan with his teeth on his lower lip, his cock stirring eagerly to the touch. “Got you,” Ignis chuckled, grinning in triumph. 

“Still got it.” Gladio congratulated him for it with a kiss as he reached down between Ignis to press his middle finger suggestively on his entrance. “Whenever youʼre ready,” he breathed closely to his lips. 

When Ignis nodded, he plunged in with his finger. He let out a cry then and danced his hips for Gladio while he rolled his hands around his flesh and started to pump it, as if he was stoking the same fire he had inside him. “Gladio…!” he gasped. Normally, this was the point where he suckled the man and took him in his hand. 

Gladio couldnʼt do that to him tonight, though. Not while they were finding out about each otherʼs bodies again in this new way. 

He made sure to linger closely to Ignisʼ ear while he twisted his finger inside his heat, letting him feel his breath, putting himself where Ignis could easily find him with his hand. “You can let go of me now,” he whispered. 

Ignis nodded, releasing his fingers around his heavy erection. He wiped them along his side before he scaled Gladioʼs shoulders with both his hands again, exploring his inked flesh. “Your back muscles,” Ignis grunted, raising his knees when Gladio slipped a hand under his thigh to carry them up. “Have they always been so pronounced?”

Gladio laughed out in delight. Who knew that in blindness, they could still find some new things? Instead of just losing everything they used to have… 

“You like?” he kissed Ignis on his neck before carried himself up to his face. Ignisʼ eyes stared up at the bunk above them, his features tightening as Gladio moved his finger inside him while his other hand, he touched lightly on Ignisʼ cock, teasing its underside with the back of his fingers. With his pink cheeks, his milky eyes looked almost as if they could shine in the shadows. “Got so obsessed with my feathers youʼve forgotten what they feel like.”

“I still miss those wings,” Ignis sighed, squirming. “I still miss seeing them by the light of the fire or the day. But these mountains will suffice me.” 

“Mountains.” That tickled Gladio. He placed a little kiss on Ignisʼ nose for it. “I like the word you used.” Carefully, he pulled out his middle finger, lathered both his hands with lube again before slipped it back in, this time with his second digit. Ignis cried out again as he tightened around them, digging his fingers deeply into Gladioʼs back. Even the pain from his fingers seemed more acute now. “Oh—Gladio!”

“Tell me if it hurts,” Gladio whispered, laying a kiss on his lips while he turned his penetrating fingers buried to the knuckle. Ignis gasped and bucked his hips again. Gladio waited for him to settle down before he sought out his fruits under his cock, rolling them in his other hand. Ignis groaned out deeply again, pushing his ass against his touch. “Tell me if youʼre scared.”

“Scared?” Ignis chuckled suddenly, cresting his palms up over the shape of his shoulders and then down his chest. “With you? Never—” He groaned when Gladio took his cock and started to stroke it. His fingers found his scar again, ran his thumb over its soft flesh while he ground himself against his loverʼs sweet touches. “Not even in darkness, Gladio,” he managed in a breath. Words that made him smile. 

They kissed again, Ignis exploring his muscles and swaying his hips while he moved his fingers like scissors inside him and rubbed his cock in his other hand. He shivered, moaned out softly, sighed out his name. “Gladio…”

“Yes, Ignis?” Gladio replied politely, breaking out in a smile as they both laughed at his funny tone. How good it was to hear his poor, serious lover in good spirits again. Ignis nudged him down by his shoulders for another kiss. Gladio held on as he pulled out his fingers, spread the lube in his own hands along his erection and held its head flush against Ignisʼ entrance. “Iʼm coming in.”

“Finally—” That snarl gave out to another cry when he breached him. Ignis carried his legs around his waist in urgency while Gladio dug deeper, stopping every so often to pull out and push in again. “Ooh,” he hissed, squeezing him from the inside. “That feels good. Gladio…”

“Happy to oblige,” Gladio chuckled, feeling his own arousal deep inside him. He pressed his mouth onto Ignisʼ again, letting his loverʼs hands travel up to his neck to find his hair and the column of his spine. Between them, he traced Ignisʼ leaking slit under his thumb and held him in place by his pelvic bone with the other hand. It wasnʼt always that they made love like this—gentle and unhurried. Normally Ignis liked to be pounded the moment he was in, until he was raw and breathless. There was something exciting, and strangely comforting after all, in being wanted so desperately. 

But there was something rare and sweet in taking their time, as well. In making love not for the sake of the high but for the heat of their mouths, their bodies pressed together. 

Bound tightly in each otherʼs arms, like jealous lovers who only had one night left in the world, their mouths never apart from each other for too long except to breathe. Or to moan or to whisper their names. 

Gladio always answered when he heard his, sighing Ignisʼ own to his ear, thrusting deeper inside him so that he cried and clenched around him. He wanted Ignis to remember what it felt like to be in his arms, to soothe his heart and mind even just for a short hour. It wasnʼt the same anymore, though, just as he said. When he looked closely into him, those frosted eyes never looked back anymore. Or smiled as he caressed his face with his fingers. They were unfocused now, and those hands moved in confused motions, first wanting to feel the scars on his face and then missing the muscles along his back then his arms. He wanted so many things at once. 

But he was still warm inside, and tight and welcoming, like someone whoʼd been waiting for him to come home. And when Gladio dressed his neck with kisses, he would still melt and breathe out his name, raking his fingers along his hair. Smiling, bliss on his lips. Satisfied to be with him. 

Gladio moved his hips in the way that he knew would seal that look on his face, his own erection swelling with his love deep inside him. “Ignis,” he called him softly, but trapped his response in their mouths as he squeezed him tighter by his side and drove himself deep in one swing, laying his own want bare between them. Ignis cried out in their kiss, jumping, pulling him closer in his arms and his legs wrapped around his waist. 

How could Gladio resist from driving deeply into him again? Eating up his startled moan just as he plunged into his soaking heat again. The next song that came out was higher and more desperate. 

Ignis could only mumble his name when Gladio barely broke their lips for air before he crushed their mouths together again, diving for his tongue, feeling giddy along his belly. He grabbed his ass from the back, pushed sharply into him. 

That was the first time he heard him scream in a long time, his fingernails pushing deeply into his biceps. Those were surely going to leave a bruise but it was well worth it for the euphoria Ignis was singing while Gladio rocked his hips just a little faster. 

Watching him closely while pleasure pinched his face, baring his teeth. A tear slipped past his scarred eye. 

Gladio chased it away with a flick of his tongue and his lips, which traveled down gently to the bridge of his nose, the last brush strokes of his scar on his cheek and the corner of Ignisʼ own lips. 

Until they kissed, taking their air from each otherʼs mouths, living at the edge of desperation. Ignis drew lines along his shoulders as he clawed him, leaving a burn along their paths which only made Gladio grip and seize him harder. Ignis coughed for air, whimpering tightly from the throat. 

“Gladio,” he begged, unseeing eyes rolling up to the wall overhead. “Oh gods, Gladio!”

“Ignis,” Gladio replied quietly and quickly, breathing hard onto his face, plowing into him in deliberate motions. He felt coiled up all over, fire blazing from his heavy cock up to his belly which felt like it was about to burn from the heat. Even pressing their damp foreheads together gave him little relief, and only made him more desperate for Ignisʼ voice and his violent quakes. He wished they could go on forever. He wished he could keep hearing his cries, keep him in his arms where he belonged. Make the world feel right again. “ _Ignis!_ ” 

They came together not long after, Ignis crying as he slammed his hips sharply into Gladioʼs, his seeds smearing warmly along their bellies. Gladio could barely remember how he pumped himself empty inside Ignis but it left him more winded than heʼd ever felt, his muscles tingling along his ass and his thighs. 

For what felt like an eternity, he and Ignis laid still. He caught his breath and let his head throb in peace on the pillow, over the shoulder he laid on. Under his weight, his lover sniffled, still riding the wave of their coitus while he traced a swollen scratch on Gladioʼs back idly with his fingers. He ached for him. He wanted to do it again but couldnʼt put it in his mind to arouse himself. 

It was some time before they could move again, though the fire had long since cooled and all that was left was the stubbornness of their longing for each other, making for sloppy kisses.

—

It didnʼt take Ignis much longer to fall asleep on Gladioʼs chest, hands clinging to his shoulder and arm, breathing easily. As for Gladio, he lied awake under him, still kneading him lazily at the base of his neck.

Mostly because he wanted to watch him sleep. The last time he could enjoy it, after all, had been in more peaceful days—and how strange they seemed now in the midst of all this darkness. 

He wondered if Ignis dreamed about them tonight. He wondered if that was why he looked so restful, as if they werenʼt riding into enemy territory right at this minute. 

He wondered when would be the next time he could look down to his light hair again, and raise himself slightly to plant a kiss on his damp scalp. Gladio tucked him under his chin after, his kneading hand climbing up a little to play idly with his short locks. He finally closed his eyes to fall asleep, assured by the weight of his lover on top of him. 

The door slid open— “ _Shhhhhit_ , man!”

Talk about a wake up call, and just when heʼd been about to fall unconscious. 

Now Gladio was jumping and gasping awake, raising a knee up as if that would protect Ignisʼ nakedness from the king who looked away from the crack on the door. Gods damn, he completely forgot all about him. 

Gladio burned up. This was quite an awkward situation; he wasnʼt sure how he could, and _if_ he should, explain this to the king and he didnʼt want Ignis to wake up either. 

Fortunately for him, Noctis had a little more presence of mind than him. With his head still averted for the most part, he stepped through the door to reach for the blanket folded at the foot of his bunk and pitched it over towards Gladio. He caught it cleanly from the air and proceeded to drape it over Ignisʼ back, just enough to cover his nakedness. 

It was only then that Noctis finally went in, looking pale and red at the same time, stopping briefly to pull the sheet over their exposed feet and straightening it up. A glance at his adviserʼs sleeping face invited Noctis to march over to him, and crouch to place a hand on his arm. “Is he okay?” His concern was sweet, even to his lover. 

Gladio nodded, looking down to his restful face. How he wanted to kiss those lips. “For the most part,” he answered. “Least heʼs sleeping soundly.”

Noctis nodded, getting up. “Okay. Umm…so uh…look, Iʼm just gonna,” he gestured back to the wall next to his bunk, “Iʼll take the next cabin. You guys can take this one.”

“Sorry about the trouble,” Gladio said. He was definitely sorry for being caught in such a position. 

Noctis scratched his head. “Yeah just…keep it down. Or something.” The gods bless him for trying his best, really. 

He rooted around his bed for some personal things, then, and finally headed out with a wave, pulling the door shut after him. Gladio whistled out softly as he looked down to Ignis again and pressed a long kiss on his crown. Safe…for the most part. At least he didnʼt have to part from his lover tonight, he thought. 

And at least if Ignis woke up and wanted to make love again, he thought as he closed his eyes to sleep once more, they would have the room to themselves so long as they kept it quiet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg, 1000 hits!! thank you so much for joining me this far, i really appreciate it!! ❤️❤️❤️ also icn believe there are only five chapters left, where did the time fly hahaha
> 
> thanks again everyone! i hope you'll stick around til the end 💕💕💕


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i added a couple of tags to this chapter as a sort of warning about what's to come next. just gonna take this opportunity, too, to reiterate that this is a gladnis fic set in the canon game. so literally it's canon, but gladnis. the point of the fic is still very much gladio and ignis' relationship.
> 
> oh also i haven't played comrades yet so this part has some world building involved 
> 
> enjoy!

“So…” As was always the case, it was Prompto who broke the silence between them, looking uneasily first at one, and then the other. “Are we just gonna…tell ‘em exactly how it happened?”

If Gladio had his way about it, of course, he wouldnʼt. Like bad news coming from a doctor, what happened to the four of them back in Zegnautus Keep wasnʼt the kind heʼd like their friends to know and worry over. But it wasnʼt like they could hide the fact that… 

That there were just three of them now… 

The number hurt. It hurt enough when they lost Prompto but it hurt worse now that they were on their way back home. Before they got off the train…before that whole mess with the daemons and their weapons and the Regalia, and everything else that followed, they had sworn among themselves that they would come home complete, with the Crystal strapped to the roof of the car. Days later, they were finally sailing up to the secret harbor in Cape Caem…but there was no light, no Crystal. 

And now, no king… 

He cleared his throat, bouncing his fist on his palm. Gladio threw his shoulders high for a shrug. “Not much else we can do,” he pointed out, voice heavy, though loud enough to fill the hold of the ferry Biggs and Wedge had managed to commandeer for their escape. “Not like we can pretend Noct is here. ‘sides…they got a right to know. Noct isnʼt just their king, heʼs their friend, too.”

Prompto nodded. “You’re right,” he said, looking down to his own fists. 

He raised his face to Ignis, then, who sat on the container chest across him, deep in his own thoughts. “Do they…know about the vision, too?” After they had fled the Keep and come to terms with their grief, Ignis thought there might be some comfort for Prompto in knowing what was to come. The result was…mixed at best…but all the same, they agreed that as the kingʼs best friend, this was something he had to know. But for others… 

Ignis shook his head when he answered. “I have not divulged it to anyone else outside of our circle, not even to Noct.” Not that that still mattered right now. “And I think…it will be for the best that we keep it that way.” He turned first to Promptoʼs side then to Gladioʼs. 

They both nodded. Gladio voiced out his agreement. “Sure thing.” 

“Yes, Sir.” Prompto saluted him. 

Ignis nodded, returning to his own thoughts. 

The sound of a knock on the hatch door came shortly after. “Land ho, gentlemen.” It was Biggs who made the announcement. 

If it werenʼt for the lighthouse, a beacon of hope in such dark times, there would have virtually been no way for them to spot the hidden harbor otherwise. 

Prompto was the first to get off so he could assist Ignis down while Gladio held on to one of his elbows and his walking staff. His difficulty was the first thing that shocked their friends who waited for them by the dock. But while Monica was fussing over Ignis, guiding him to the couch, Talcott came charging forward despite Iris chasing after him, calling for him to stop. After spending all that time away from home, Gladio thought he might be beyond ecstatic to see his family again. 

The reality, however, was that it filled him with dread. Both of them, especially Talcott, they were the ones who wanted to welcome Noctis home the most. 

The poor boy looked around for him, though he couldnʼt stray too far from Iris who held him fast by the arm. “W, where is His Majesty?” he asked, looking up to Gladio. 

Gladio cleared his throat before he started to speak—

“Ah!” Prompto piped up, taking one step closer to the child. “Y, you see—”

“Prompto.”

“Huh?” Prompto whipped at him. 

Gladio shook his head. “Sorry but,” he gestured to his sister and the boy, “could you let me handle this?” They both, after all, belonged to House Amicitia. And as he was the head of it now… 

“Oh.” Prompto nodded, taking a step back. 

Gladio tipped his head to him. “Thanks,” he muttered, before he turned back to Iris who looked to him with round, fearful eyes. 

“Gladdy,” she ventured warily, “whatʼs wrong?”

“Noct…” he began, tasting his words as he spoke them. “…couldnʼt come home with us yet. Thereʼs…something he has to do.” He glanced at Ignis whose face was turned slightly to him over his shoulder. “With the Crystal. To banish the darkness from this world. As the Chosen King.”

“ _Huh?_ ” Talcott exclaimed in his confusion. “W, will he come back?”

Prompto laughed suddenly, dancing to the boy so he could match his height a little closer when he bent forward and pressed his hands on his knees. “Of course! You know, while we were out there, some bad guys captured me and he was the one who saved me.” Technically, it was all three of them but that was neither here nor there. “So if he came for me, you bet heʼs coming back to you!”

“I…” Despite Promptoʼs positivity, though, it was obvious that it wasnʼt the answer that he was hoping for. As a child and a great believer of the king, Talcott wanted to know not only _if_ he was coming back but _when_ it was going to happen. And if it wasnʼt now, and the adults wouldnʼt tell him anything… 

Talcott tried to put on a brave face when he told him, “I understand…” Even though he didnʼt. 

None of them did, anyway. 

“Gladdy.” Iris spoke again, looking uncertain. Gladio could see she had so many questions she wanted to ask but in the interest of the child, even she had to hold her tongue. And keep her uneasiness in check. “You all must be so tired, huh? Iʼll put something together for everyone.”

“No, Lady Iris,” Monica stopped her just as she rose from the couch beside Ignis. “Allow me to take care of that. Ignis.” She nodded to the blind man who returned the gesture. “Talcott, why donʼt you come with me?” She held out her hand for him to take. 

Talcott didnʼt want to go until Prompto promised him that they would be along shortly. He had no choice but to follow. 

Leaving Iris alone with the three of them, which only emphasized how utterly incomplete they were. There was a gaping hole in their circle where Noctis was meant to stand. How unfair. Even coming home hurt. 

“Iris,” Gladio called her, offering a little smile as he nodded and held out his hands shallowly. It had been months since he last received a hug from his little sister. 

She must have realized that, he thought, when she suddenly broke out in tears and wailed, “Gladdy!!” before she came running to his arms. How unfair. She was barely even a woman and yet the world was already crumbling around her. Sheʼd lost her father, her home, and now one of her closest friends. And nearly her brother. She was almost alone to face this dark world. 

“Keep it together, Iris,” Gladio told his sister, covering his own sniffle behind the back of his hand. Prompto spun around to hide his own tears from the room, just as Ignis slipped off his shades and pressed his eyes to his knuckles. “Weʼre gonna get through this,” he promised in husky breaths, patting his sister on her shoulder. “Noct will be back before we know it.”

—

Three years had passed since.

Now the world was much too changed from the one they remembered. The darkness had become thoroughly pervasive and time had, almost quite literally, stopped. Daemons ran rampant throughout the land, and without daylight and accessible power, even wildlife and functioning outposts had become overpowered by their numbers and ferocity. It was dangerous to travel at any time now, more so the farther one went from Lestallum, which had pretty much become humanityʼs last bastion, all thanks to the women of Exineris. 

Then again, it wasnʼt like Gladio had much of a choice. He was a hunter, after all, and there were certain things that only a man of his speciality could accomplish without…certain losses. 

These days, that included deliveries from Lestallum to other outposts that required the safety that their power technology provided them. He announced his arrival with two honks and two blinks from his headlights, and then a wave when the hunters stationed at the Cauthess Rest Area recognized his pickup and hollered him over. 

Two of them pulled the white wire gates open while another got on his radio and reported his arrival. The last one came up to his window for a fist bump and the clipboard Gladio handed over from his passenger side. 

“Had us waiting forever and biting our nails, Amicitia!” the gatekeeper jabbed while she checked the documents that he came with. “A minute longer and we were gonna call Meldacio to put in a request for your dog tag.” 

“If youʼd told me youʼd be waiting for me, I would have put you at the top of my list.” Gladio grinned at his friend, though it was difficult to see her expression from under the brim of her Junon cap. “Not that thereʼs much of a competition, by the way.”

“Men like you are the reason why this world is falling apart, Amicitia,” she sighed dramatically, shaking her head. She flipped his pages back in order as she returned them to him. “Still, youʼve got your uses.”

“Iʼve also got time this evening,” Gladio shared, winking at her. She gave him a dirty look. “It _is_ evening, isnʼt it?” He turned to his dashboard to check the time. Six PM, it read. 

“Evening, morning, noon, whatsit matter anymore?” She waved to the gate. “Itʼs all the same these days. Heʼs good to go, boys!”

“Itʼs all in how you spend the time, yʼknow?” Gladio laughed, waving his thanks again as he pressed the gas to roll forward. As soon as heʼd parked the truck, he jumped off and headed to the back to help out with unloading the cargo—a power generator wrapped snug in thick plastic. Secondhand but graced by the attention of the master mechanic Cid Sophiar, it may as well perform better than new. 

He let the hunters and the other folks take care of it while he signed the logbook and caught up with a few faces he hadnʼt seen in a while. 

“So where you off to next?” one of them asked while they waited for their dinner over at the old _Crowʼs Nest_. Everything about it looked more or less the same, except…except for pretty much everything else. Just another relic of the old world, repurposed to aid in the war efforts. 

“Back to Lestallum,” Gladio shared, twisting off the cap from his hip flask to take a quick swig. Technically, he shouldnʼt be drinking because he was going to drive but also technically, there were no rules out on the road anymore. As long as he could still drive straight without running over anyone human, no one was going to give him hell for it. He nodded back to the window where he could see his red pickup, the generator it once carried now replaced with gray sacks and wooden crates. “Just waiting for them to load up the produce.” Then he leaned over the counter to call out to the kitchen through the open door, “And for my food to come out!”

“Fuck off, Amicitia!” the designated cook cried back. “Why donʼt you try on this damn apron and cook your own damn food instead?!”

“Lay off him, Gladio.” The friend to his left smacked him on the muscle of his arm before she pointed a purple fingernail at the door. “His time off just got extended another two weeks. Doctorʼs orders.”

“Seriously?” Gladio turned to her with a quiet voice. Now he felt bad. “I thought the x-ray results came out okay?”

“Itʼs not the x-ray results, anymore.” Their honored chef came through the door just then, half-limping with a tray of three standard-issued budget plates, complete with protein, carbohydrates and fiber, just enough to feed a hungry hunter. “Itʼs my damn gout thatʼs giving me hell this time. I told her I could fight but she wonʼt give me my clearance.”

“Seriously speaking, thatʼs nothing to take lightly,” Gladio told him just as he put down his plate. He took up his spoon and gave his ground pork and peas a little mix before he devoured his first bite. “I know you wanna go back out in the field ‘cause thereʼs too few of us but you dying doesnʼt solve that problem.” He jabbed at his direction with his spoon. “Thereʼs time for your revenge but you ainʼt gonna see it if you get yourself killed out there by rushing in headlong.”

“And thatʼs the word of the Shield,” the hunter to his right laughed, clapping him on his shoulder. “Listen to ‘im, heʼs the reason we get free meals as a part of our benefits.”

“Couldʼve gone for a hazard pay instead,” Gladio quipped and beamed when his friend laughed, slapping his own thighs. For all the camaraderie that they enjoyed, after all, the life of a hunter was nothing quite as glamorous as the stories and the wanted ads told them to be. You got paid to fight and to get killed by beings that were larger than you, the salary wasnʼt much and half the time, it was late. After a quick lesson on basic self-defense, you were pretty much on your own which meant that arms, gas and lodging expenses all came from your pocket, without reimbursement. 

Gladioʼs tribute to the cause was to forfeit his salary for the promise of a free daily meal per hunter, which was cheaper than giving out an insurance or a hazard pay. He would take a weekly allowance but just enough to buy some necessities here and there. Then again, he had it a bit easier—his fame as an Amicitia preceded him everywhere he went and earned him the generosity of grateful and loyal businesses. On top of that, he wasnʼt really in the game for fame and fortune, anymore. He just…needed to fight the good fight. Defend the lines until the day finally came: for his king to come back and for himself to reclaim his rightful place beside him as his sworn protector. 

Until then, he would do whatever he could to make sure Noctis still had a world to save when he returned. That was all he wanted. 

“Seriously, with what little heʼs making?” His lady friend peered at them from Gladioʼs side, waving her veggie meatball on her fork. “Iʼm surprised Stel lets him stay for free.” Gladio clicked his tongue and hissed through his smile, ignoring her for his food. 

“Oh I know why, itʼs—” The other hunter put down his spoon to put a heart on his chest from his two hands. 

“Guys, really?” Gladio laughed stirring some sauce into his rice before he scooped it up. “How many times do I gotta tell ya, weʼre—”

“—just friends, mhm, okay.” His lady friend raised her hands in surrender. “If thatʼs the word of the Shield, Iʼll take it.”

“You better.” Gladio grinned at her, nudging her by his elbow while his other hand left his spoon on his plate to pull out his ringing phone from his back pocket. 

He raised a brow at the screen before he answered the call. “Hey Prompto, whatʼs—”

“ _Gladiooo!!! Thank the Six you picked up!_ ” he screeched. 

Gladio excused himself from his friends as he stepped out where no one could hear Prompto screaming. “You’re either really excited or freaking out. Whatʼs going on?”

“ _Can it be both?!_ ” Prompto cried. “ _Itʼs kind of both. But you remember that lich with a broken horn in the list of hunts?_ ”

“Yea—”

“ _I killed it!!_ ” Prompto followed up his exclamation with a half-crazed laughter. “ _I didnʼt think I could do it but I did!_ ”

“No way, you serious?” Gladio felt thoroughly impressed, smiling brightly at his news. Three years later, and he was still yet to get used to Prompto hunting daemons without them. It used to be that they could come together whenever they wanted to hit a mark or two. But there were so many things to do, and so little of them who could do it. “Alone?”

“ _Are you gonna believe me if I say yeah?_ ” His voice was still trembling. 

“I could if you say it is,” Gladio smirked. 

“ _I was on my own._ ” Prompto cackled again. “ _But I didnʼt go out to look for it!! It just appeared out of nowhere while I was on my way back to Hammerhead and I thought I could drive away from it but I also thought,” he wasnʼt stopping to catch his breath, “since I already saw it, I shouldnʼt pretend that I didnʼt see it! ‘cause the next guy who could catch it might wind up dead, yʼknow?!_ ” 

“Sounds about right,” Gladio agreed, putting his weight to the wall. “Wouldʼve wanted to see that! Where are you?”

“ _Ahhhh, Longwythe Rest Area._ ” Prompto hissed sharply. “ _Ahhhh, I should really get back on the road but ughhh, my knees and hands are still shaking!! I canʼt drive like this!!_ ”

“Take it easy, hero,” Gladio chuckled, scratching at the scar on his forehead. “Pretty sure Cindy doesnʼt mind waiting a little longer for you.”

“ _Gladio, youʼre supposed to be on my side, yʼknow?_ ” Then again, for all of Promptoʼs accomplishments, he was still the same funny guy who whined whenever they picked on him. Gladio grinned. “ _Anyway, where are you?_ ”

“Cauthess Rest Area,” Gladio answered, glancing back to the former _Crowʼs Nest_ where his friends and his dinner still waited. “Just picking up some produce and then Iʼm back to Lestallum.”

“ _Eh? So Ignis isnʼt there?_ ”

“Ignis?” Gladio looked around, over his shoulders just in case the man would produce himself suddenly. “Nope. Did he say heʼll be around?” He turned to his phone. 

“ _Ah, no, we didnʼt talk…but Talcott mentioned that Ignis was going to be in that area this week so I thought he might already be there._ ”

“Is he?” Gladio searched again, smiling at the thought. “Be nice to see him again. Maybe Iʼll drop by Cauthess Station on my way back.” The last time he saw him had been about two months ago, and that was on a chance encounter that left them too little time to really catch up beyond a hug in the public eye. 

And ever since, there was never a day when he didnʼt think back to that moment. 

“ _Well, tell him I said hi if you do catch him, ‘kay? Iʼm starting to feel hungry so Iʼm gonna grab some dinner and finally hit the road. Canʼt keep Cindy waiting for me, right?!_ ”

“Sure, whatever,” Gladio chuckled. “Drive safe, hero! Swing by Lestallum when you get the chance, you hear?”

“ _Roger that!_ ” After a lively goodbye, Prompto finally hung up.

—

He finished his dinner swiftly enough, signed his departing papers after a quick inspection of his new cargo and bade goodbye to his friends.

Except for the guy he joined for dinner—heʼd asked for a lift up to Fallaughns Haven where he was to meet with another team of hunters for a, well, hunt. It was for a Red Giant that was last seen laying waste on the Taelpar Rest Area, distinguished by a chip on its sword which was the most the hunters could do before they sounded a retreat. 

“So tell me something, Gladio,” his friend said to him while Gladio waved goodbye to the gatekeeper and turned back into the road. “So if you and Stel are just friends, how come youʼve got a sticky note from her stuck in your truck?”

Gladio turned to his right where his friend was looking closely at the pink square note taped between two photographs at the front of his glove compartment. It read, _New bread!! I better not see this on the dining table when I get back! Stay safe! Stel_ And then there was a cute drawing of a smiling face with pixie cut hair next to the name. 

He only smiled and laughed at the note as he looked ahead, one hand on the wheel. “So?” he asked. He wasnʼt lying, after all. For the most part, he and the woman _were_ just friends. And he was indebted to her for the room she offered for free in her already cramped house as a payment for protecting the power plant from wayward daemons. 

_But_ he wouldnʼt lie either and say he wasnʼt tickled every time he came home to a table laden with food. Or to a cold bottle of beer waiting for him in the living room if a hunt ever kept him out late. Or if she fussed over his grimy clothes and nudged him to the shower, or if he smelled her cooking while he slept in after a long day. Sometimes, he caught himself wondering what it would feel like to put his arms around her from the back while she worked in the kitchen. 

But sometimes…sometimes, he wished it was another person in her place. 

His friend snorted and jabbed him on his shoulder. “You’re a bore, Gladio.” He went back to his other pictures. “Hey, I havenʼt seen these two in a while,” he whistled, tapping at the photo closest to Gladio—of him and Ignis and Prompto in camp, shortly before they raided a nest of bombs, if he remembered right. “Whatʼs Prompto been up to this late?”

“He stays near Hammerhead most of the time,” Gladio shared. “Been trying to impress this girl who manages it since there was still light but honestly, Iʼm not sure heʼs getting anywhere. Guyʼs stubborn as a cactuar needle, though.”

“Yeah? Good for him,” his friend said, moving on to the last picture. “Ignis is still doing ruins, right?”

“Mostly.”

“No shit, itʼs you!” His friend laughed suddenly, clapping his hands once, smiling widely at an old picture taken by the beach in the morning. “In Galdin Quay! Oh wow, Iʼve completely forgotten what it used to look like.” He peered closer. “Thatʼs Prompto…and thatʼs Ignis?!” He whipped at Gladio. “He could see before?”

Gladio nodded, keeping his eyes on the road. The haven was coming up soon. “He lost his eyesight just three years ago from a bad fight but when there was still light, he used to be able to see.” He smiled at the photo of the better days, taken before they heard the news of Insomniaʼs fall. “He even drove the car around, if you can imagine.” His eyes were also green, he almost added. 

His friend laughed. “Sounds like a trip.” Well, it was… “And this?” He tapped at the last person in the group, crouching with a smug look on his face. “Some…” he turned to Gladio, “…one you lost?” The story of a hunter, after all, always began with a loss. More often than not, it was a person they wanted to avenge or to honor by keeping up the fight. In a way, they were probably the same. But also, he knew they were different. His faith told him so. 

Gladio smiled at the young face smirking back at him. “Nah. _We_ havenʼt lost him.” He pointed at his charge. “That would be your king—Noctis Lucis Caelum.”

His friendʼs face fell right open and he whipped back at the photo to stare at the then-prince. “No shit?! Iʼve never seen him before!”

“Now you have.” Gladio pulled over at the side of the road, right next to the haven, and reached over the glove compartment to pull it open. “So you better not fuck this one up.” He took a bottle of Hi-Potion and waved it to his friendʼs face. “Fighting the fight for payʼs well and good but thereʼs a bigger reason to defend humanity.” He slapped it on his friendʼs reaching hand. “And thatʼs because we gotta keep everyone alive until Noct comes back.”

“You just call His Majesty Noct?”

“Shield of the King, remember?” Gladio slapped the hatch shut and nodded to the passengerʼs door as he straightened up in his seat. “Now go and raise hell in his name.”

“Wait! Before that…” Suddenly, that Hi-Potion seemed less important, relegated to the lap while his friend brought out a bottle of water, cracked it open and took a mouthful. 

Which he also spat out to the road. Gladio raised his brow. His friend returned to him. “Look, Iʼm just thinking…this is a Red Giant Iʼm taking on, so this could be my last night in this world.”

“Uh huh,” Gladio replied flatly. “What did I say about staying alive for the king?”

“But just in case!” his friend insisted, raising his own hands to stop Gladio from interrupting him. “Iʼm just thinking…this could be the last chance Iʼm gonna get to ask for a souvenir from an extremely good-looking guy like you. So,” he shrugged, “howʼs about a kiss for the road?” That was sudden. 

It was hilarious, though. Gladio guffawed, staring strangely at his friend. “Seriously? Youʼre about to take on one of the most fearsome daemons and thatʼs what youʼre thinking?”

“For the record, those pills they give out with the condoms?” He jutted himself on the chest. “I take ‘em religiously. So you know, Iʼm clean.” Gladio sighed, shaking his head. “Iʼm not asking for a one night stand, Amicitia. I can never do that to Stel.” And he would never give it to him, anyway. “But maybe you could spare me a kiss? Iʼve been dying to know what your lips feel like, man!”

“Fine!” Gladio clicked his tongue, waving him over. Well, what could it hurt? Technically, he was single, anyway. Has been for some five odd years now. His kisses, he could give them to anyone he liked. _Should_ give them. “Cʼmere.”

His right hand found its way to the back of his friendʼs hair as he pressed a kiss on his lips, brief but not half-assed, at least. After that, Gladio pushed him back and waved him to the door. “Now go and get.”

“Iʼll dream about you tonight, Gladio!” his friend laughed, jumping out his truck and pushing the door shut. He hit it twice with his hand. 

Gladio replied with a honk and a salute, before he left him to face the night. If it werenʼt for his cargo at the back, he thought he might have lent his sword to the cause. But with the amount of people seeking refuge in Lestallum, they were constantly living on the edge with their foodstocks. Defeating the Red Giant would save a lot of people, but so would feeding them. 

“We all have a part to play,” Gladio said to no one. He turned to the photo of the four of them and smiled slightly. “Right, Noct?” Tonight, he wondered if he would be dreaming about the days they shared under the sun again. 

His phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and cheered up at the name. Speaking of good thoughts... 

“Hey, Stellaria,” Gladio greeted his caller with a sparkling grin on his face. On loudspeaker, his landladyʼs sigh was full and clear from the other line. 

“ _Hi, Gladiolus,_ ” she replied, making Gladio laugh. “ _You on your way back?_ ”

“Yup. Just had dinner.” He glanced at the brilliant phone on top of his dash. “Miss me so soon?”

“ _Your sisterʼs here,_ ” Stel explained, avoiding the tease. “ _She brought over your mended clothes and she was wondering if you—_ ”

He couldnʼt hear the rest of her story over the sound of an explosion lighting up the sky, some 40 meters away from his position. If he yelled, Gladio couldnʼt remember that either—only that this was the biggest fire that he had seen in recent years and he might have teared up and lost his breath in his astonishment. 

Even as it died down, the ghost of it still burned brightly in his eyes. It took some time for him to realize that that was because the fire was still very much alive, coloring the black skies in red and white. And what he was hearing was no longer the roar of the flames—but of something else worse, much worse than an innocent accident. 

He almost bit his tongue when he cursed through his teeth and rammed his foot on the gas, darting forward. His heart thundered wildly in his chest while he grabbed for the screaming voices on his phone and held it to his ear. 

“ _—dio! Gladio, whatʼs happening?!_ ”

“ _Gladdy!!_ ”

“Stel, Iʼm gonna have to call you back later.” He veered left from the road just as a massive debris crashed right onto the middle. “Tell the soup kitchen Iʼll be late. Iris, keep your ear to the radio!”

“ _Got it,_ ” Iris replied. “ _Gladdy, be careful!_ ”

“Yeah,” was all Gladio said before he ended the call and tossed his phone to his empty side. With the same hand, he snatched up the radio where heʼd holstered it in his cup holder and switched it on, bringing it to his mouth. “Shield to Meldacio, Iʼm witnessing a fire explosion with possible daemonic activity.”

“ _Copy that, Shield. This is Meldacio,_ ” the radio responded. “ _Whatʼs your 20?_ ”

“Uhh…” And because he was in a panic and completely forgot where on Eos he was, Gladio had to check the GPS on his dash. “Iʼm headed for the Cauthess Station!” The old Coernix Station in Cauthess. Cauthess Station…what was it he said heʼd do there? 

“ _Copy that, Shield. We have you on the map. We have some hunters in your position._ ”

Cauthess Station, Cauthess Station… 

He remembered just as soon as his radio crackled to life again and he was twisting his truck into an opening in the fire: “ _Hand to Meldacio, requesting immediate reinforcements in Cauthess Station!_ ” It was Ignis. He was going to look for Ignis. “ _We are being overwhelmed by alpha- and beta-types with some 30 refugees in the line of fire and two men down!_ ”

“ _Meldacio to Hand, copy that, we have a hunter headed to your location—_ ”

There was a burst of static and a scream just before he got cut off. 

“ _Ignis!!_ ” Gladio roared to the radio, the voice behind it yelling out the same name. He smashed his foot on the brakes and jumped out of the vehicle, snatching the communicator with him. 

From a simple roadside outpost, the former Coernix Station in Cauthess had since been converted into a refugee station to organize entry into Lestallum. In other words, it became a bottleneck to remove the bottleneck in Lestallumʼs gate. It had several caravans up and down the crag, portable kitchens, and the mini mart they used to buy their refreshments and magazines from had since been converted into a warehouse refugees and hunters could request items from. 

That was what was burning. And Gladio suspected that that was the cause of at least one hunterʼs death when he ran into his blackened corpse and looted him for his curatives. For a second there, he had half a mind to take his dog tag with him. 

If he had, though, he would have lost his head to the Reaper swinging its blade down his neck. 

He landed on his knee after rolling sideways off the corpse and retaliated quickly with a yell and an upward swing of his glaive, cutting the Reaper neatly in half. 

Gladio burst past its fading form just before a pair of Thunder Bombs materialized to exact their vengeance upon his back. Heʼd barely managed to get his shield up in time to catch their lightning strikes but he left them under the heat of the fire to join the main cluster of mayhem in the station. 

And what a terror it was—bodies strewn along the ground like a trail of blood that pointed onwards to safety, with both hunter and refugee in varying states of disembodiment. A tangy odor, sharp in the nose, made an unpleasant mix with the odor of gasoline and smoke. Stark shadows from the raging fire made monsters of…everyone and everything in his path… 

He couldnʼt find Ignis. Couldnʼt see him with the hunters running with the refugees, couldnʼt find him among those he joined to cut down the daemons looking to make a meal out of them. When he cried his name, no one would hear him. 

“Ignis,” he whispered between heavy breaths, fighting back against his rising despair. The bodies…he didnʼt want to look at the dead bodies yet. “ _Igni—!_ ”

A shriek ripped through the air. Sounded like a woman. In an instant, Gladio spotted her on the ground, fighting against the length of her skirt to get back on her feet. She wouldnʼt make it in time. 

Already, a dark shadow was looming over her, faster than Gladio could run, and all she could still do was to cry and scream. She wouldnʼt make it. 

“Get down!!” he roared, summoning his glaive and pitching it at the floating corpse raising its claws at her. And he must have saved her somehow because she was still screaming and so was the daemon and he had just enough time to slide his way to her spot and cover them both with his shield. 

In time for a hunter to boost himself on it and with a great cry, extinguish the offensive monster. The shadows faded around them. 

Gladio got up, pulling the woman with him. So tempted to cut her dress shorter but he wasnʼt the one with a knife here. 

“Pick up your skirt,” he coughed, pointing her to the thinning line of refugees and hunters calling and waving her over. “There should be some caravans waiting to take you somewhere safe. Go! Weʼll cover you.” It took her a while but amidst her tears, she managed to bow and run to the closest hunter reaching for her. 

That left him alone finally with the other one who saved her life—a man with fair hair styled back in a pompadour, dressed sharply in a blazer with a dagger in each of his gloved hands. His back was turned to him, but even if Gladio had been blind, he knew he would be able to tell him by the shape of his shoulders, easier than he could remember his own name. 

“Ignis,” he rasped. Finally. 

Ignis spun around just as he started for him, wearing a look of surprise under his dark green visors. “Gladio!” He might have hurried to him. 

If Gladio hadnʼt raced him to it and sealed the distance with a crushing embrace. “Ignis!” he cried again, bursting with relief. Alive and warm, he was there in his arms. Right where he was meant to be. 

“Iʼd hoped it was you,” Ignis gasped, clinging to his back by his fingers. “Gods above, Iʼd hoped it was you!”

“I was on my way back to Lestallum when I saw the fire,” Gladio explained, just as he remembered his scream. With some urgency, he pushed him back to inspect him and found a gash and a bruise on his cheek, the one without a scar. 

Ignis nodded and shook his head while Gladio brushed it gently with a trembling thumb, long fingers finding both of his elbows. “I heard you over the radio,” Gladio went on, searching within his visors for his eyes. “Are you really okay?”

“Nothing a potion canʼt fix,” Ignis reassured him, reaching up to run his own fingers over Gladioʼs scar and cheek. “And are you hurt? How long have you been here?”

“I got here as soon as you sounded off on the radio.” Gladio took one of his hands and pressed a kiss on its gloved palm. “Took me a while to find you, though.” And now that he was sure they were both alive, putting down that hand on his cheek to hold it between them, it was time to get back to more critical matters: “Are there any other refugees that need rescuing?”

“We got them all out as fast as we could,” Ignis answered, marching for the caravans now that they no longer had any business to linger in the station. “There will be casualties among their numbers but we can get to that after weʼve sorted them out.” That was a hard lesson to learn but there was nothing more important these days than the survival of the living. “Did you bring your pick-up?”

“Yeah.” Gladio nodded, following closely besides him. “Itʼll be a tight squeeze but I can fit one on my side and maybe six more at the back. Eight if we wanna push it.”

“We can use that to cover the rear,” Ignis continued. “In case these daemons get any bright ideas. Iʼll put out a call for some hunters—”

A sudden tremor under their feet quite literally stopped them. Gladio darted out his arm to catch Ignis by the elbow just as the blind man flailed and stumbled backwards for balance. If heʼd been a second too late, he might have sent his friend to fall into the murky pool spreading out from under the earth. They knew, then, what it was even before they turned towards it. 

Or heard that deep moan that yawned out from the depths of the pit, heralding the arm that breached the surface and slammed onto the ground to unearth the rest of its form. Ignis bared his teeth with an offended curse while Gladio pulled them back several paces before they could be crushed to their deaths without a fight. 

“Shit,” he agreed, watching the gargantuan being rise to its feet, casting a bleak shadow over the both of them. “So much for that. Got a Plan B in that pretty head of yours?” He glanced quickly at Ignis while they moved back further from the new enemy. 

Ignis nodded. “I do, but it wonʼt be as pretty. Gladio, what color is it?”

“Red,” Gladio snarled, catching the color of its supernatural armor by the light of the blaze to his right. “Like bloody murder.”

“It takes four of us to take one down.”

“Not an option to let this bastard live for another day.” Gladio pointed to its flaming sword coming to life in its right hand. “Thereʼs that chip on its blade. This is the same monster that attacked the Taelpar Rest Area.”

“If thatʼs the case, then it should have already sustained some damage from the earlier encounter.” Now that Ignis mentioned it, Gladio could see where there were a few nicks on its front, spread out along the rest of it. Lucky, uncalculated strikes. “We may yet survive this, Gladio. Whereʼs Prompto?”

“All the way in Leide,” Gladio answered with a shake of his head. “Guyʼs in no position to help us either. Tell you later but heʼs living right now. He says hi, by the way.”

“Then we best make sure we win this. I would very much like to be alive long enough to hear that tale.” Ignis reached for the empty holster on his side, where he might have normally slung his radio but that was before he lost it in the attack. Gladio pulled his one from his back pocket and handed it to him. 

Ignis raised it to his mouth. “Cauthess Hunters, this is the Hand of the King. You need to get all refugees away from Cauthess Station now. We have a Code Red, I repeat: this is a Code Red.”

“ _Copy that. We have visuals on Code Red. Wait, youʼre not thinking of taking it on, are you?!_ ”

“Donʼt worry about me,” Ignis replied, turning to face Gladio. “Iʼm with the Shield of the King.” He switched off the radio to stow it in his holster, giving him a nod. 

Even when Ignis couldnʼt see him, he signaled his own readiness. 

They didnʼt spare another word before they bolted for the Red Giant coming at them with a wild downward slash. If Gladio hadnʼt pulled himself sideways for a jump and a roll, he was pretty sure the impact of the sword on the ground would have done it for him, anyway. 

“Focus your attacks on the rear and the legs!”

“Donʼt have to tell me that twice,” Gladio snapped under his breath before he hopped back for space and called out his glaive from the crystals. Ignis was somewhere he couldnʼt see, throwing spears at the giant daemon to draw its back towards Gladio. Keeping it busy. 

With a great roar, Gladio swung a wide slash into the air, catching the giant at the fringes of his blow. The effect was instantaneous, sending it to its knee and dislodging its defenses just in time to receive a spear up its unseeable face. The muffled growl was their first sign of triumph. 

“Just as I expected of you, Gladio!”

“Couldn’t have done it without ya!” Gladio charged at the outstretched calf, leaping for a great cut, perfectly poised to draw a mean gash onto its meat. 

At the last second, he pulled the blade back to him, putting it between him and the massive fist that came backhanding at him with a vengeance. The impact was nothing like he had prepared for. 

“ _Gladio!_ ”

It was like meeting his glaive, and that of Noctisʼ forefathers, straight at his face. Gladio landed gracelessly onto the cracked earth, rolling back a few paces before he stopped with a deep groan. 

“Gladio!” Ignis came over to him urgently, catching himself with a hand on the ground. “Are you all right?” He grasped him on his shoulder. 

Between the bruise that was going to show on his back and his pride, Gladio couldnʼt say. He was still breathing, though, even when his muscles felt like they were contorting themselves out of order for the pain. And that meant that the only permissible answer was a nod. 

And a growl that went, “Okay. Now Iʼm really mad.”

“All the better for us.” Hand to elbow, Ignis pulled him back up to his feet. “Get it back on its knee—”

“Ignis!!”

Gladio shoved them both back to the ground as the flaming sword came swinging at them, burning the air over his shoulder. Ignis rolled off to safety as soon as he pushed himself back up, glaive in hand. 

He caught the next swing from the Red Giantʼs steel just on time and shoved it back to dislodge it. With another cry, he struck the brief opening and pitched his sword at the daemonʼs knee. 

His blade landed straight onto its meat, although the desired effect was only little achieved, causing the giant to stumble only very briefly. Gladio seized the moment, anyway, dashing for his blade, bringing his shield to his left. 

With a leap, he smashed it down on the ground, sending another shockwave out to push back the daemon with Ignisʼ flying spears—closer to the fire. Gladioʼs sword came back to his hand, acting as a torque while he spun and threw a wide cut on its knee cap. 

Aided by Ignisʼ weapon charging at its upper torso, the Red Giant fell back to the store on fire with a great crash. 

Gladio took the chance to catch his breath, hurrying back away from the flames just as Ignis rejoined him, the light of the blaze reflected off his visor. “Did we get it?” he heaved. 

Ignis shook his head. “Would that we did, but I still hear its armor groaning—”

It was like a true horror monster when its left hand shot up to the skies, holding up a great orb, red and pink in the fire. Gladio barely had time to panic before he and Ignis were already getting pulled towards the orb and into the fire that was supposed to kill the giant—not them. 

Ignis cried when he landed on his back. Kicked at the air uselessly and let loose his daggers but none of them quite hit home. When Gladio threw himself to him, he didnʼt know what he was doing except that he knew he had to protect him from the fire and the daemon. 

“Grab onto me!” He summoned forth his sword and shield, striking the blade into the ground to stop them from being pulled and then raising his buckler just to protect them from whatever—

The burst of another fire flung them back by some inches, both of them yelping in surprise. Gladio managed to catch the flaming tower shooting up to the giantʼs outstretched hand from where the fuel dispensers used to stand. 

“Gladio, whatʼs happening?!” Ignis demanded as they scrambled to pick themselves up. 

“Bastardʼs burning up from the gasoline underground,” Gladio answered, watching the Red Giant flail with its sword and fist until it finally managed to get up to its feet. _Still_ managed to get up to its feet. “Donʼt know if the fireʼs hurting it but maybe the light is?” 

“And where is it going?” Ignis went on, listening to the giantʼs footsteps as it stepped out of the fire. 

Moving away from them. Gladio cursed under his teeth, hurrying towards it. Ignis followed closely. “Bastardʼs trying to get away!”

“I have a plan,” Ignis announced. Music to Gladioʼs ears, really. “Follow me!”

Even when blind, Ignis had managed to outrun Gladio, all while throwing daggers at the Red Giant from its side. “Hey!!” he roared, jumping and waving at the daemon turning to meet him. “Iʼm here! Come and get me!!” The bastard—! 

“Ignis, get away from there!!” Gladio found out too late what this plan was (C, D, E, he didnʼt even know anymore) and raced to his friend who was waiting for the monster, its armor by now black and singed, to swing its blade down to where he stood. “ _Ignis!!_ ”

Ignis tumbled away from the smashing steel, just at the nick of time. The power of the cut was such that the weapon had eaten into the ground and the Red Giant was struggling to pull it free—

“Oh, you brilliant son of a bitch,” Gladio spat when he finally understood what heʼd done. He hurried forward to the fiery steel, bringing out his glaive from the air. 

“Gladio! Now!!” Ignis ran to the back of the daemon and with a tight whirl of his form, struck the back of the giantʼs injured knee with a spear to bring it down on it. 

With quite a distance still between him and the mark, Gladio threw his sword forward again only for it to bounce off the enchanted steel, near the part where the hunters had chipped it. He didnʼt stop to pick it up from the ground where it spun, though, letting the crystals take it while he filled his left with the shield again and rolled his shoulder as he neared his target. 

And smashed his fist onto the blade, at the same moment that the giant was finally picking itself back up but by then, the deed had already been done. 

Its blade had already shattered in two, rooting from the chip that had ruined it first. 

Gladio shouted and howled at their success. The next second, he was hurrying towards Ignis heading straight for him in a mad dash. “Take it away, Ignis!” he cried, stretching out his arm. 

They latched onto each other and Gladio used their spare momentum to pull him around in a spin until he could finally launch him high into the air. 

Where he twirled like a top until he could raise a spear high as he descended onto the nape of the giant with a loud roar. 

The Red Giant crashed heavily again on its injured knee upon Ignisʼ landing and fell forward to its face when the long blade pierced it through its windpipe. 

Right onto the jagged end of its blade on the ground. 

Gladio cried out suddenly at how perfectly theyʼd ended its reign of terror, punching the air. Ignis pulled back his spear, spinning it to his side and jumped off the giantʼs neck as it descended, finally, into the pool from whence it came, never to be seen or heard off again. 

He landed perfectly on his two feet, as was to be expected of Ignis Scientia, but lost his balance two steps in towards the running Gladio. 

Gladio caught him just then, hands grasping him by the sleeves to right him. “Hm,” he began, wiping some dirt off Ignisʼ scarred cheek. “Iʼll give that an eight out of ten.” Ignis smacked him in the arm for the imperfect score, causing him to jump at the sting. He smiled brightly soon after, though. 

“In my defense,” he retorted, “I just killed a giant.” Gladio laughed at his haughty argument and pulled him into a tight embrace. 

For the first time in two months, and after what could have been the last night of their lives, Gladio was finally holding him in his arms again.


	18. Chapter 18

They rendezvoused at Sothmocke Haven, where the survivors among the refugees and the hunters were taken to collect themselves and their information. As for those who couldnʼt come this far, there was a team dispatched to look for them, and for any dog tags they might have left back in what used to be the Cauthess Station. Gladio and Ignis had prepared to come along until one of the senior hunters stopped them. 

“Youʼve done more than enough,” she said, pushing Gladio back to where he sat. “You need to rest. We canʼt afford to lose either of you.” Whether or not that was because of their prowess, or because they were the kingʼs men, no one said. 

Back when he first started out as a hunter, Gladio remembered how difficult it was to walk amongst the living. To understand that while heʼd saved them, he hadnʼt been able to save those that they loved and had bared the darkness for so long with. 

It was still there—the sting, the guilt of not having done more for them as he passed the clusters of refugees, some in tears, some wailing, some shell-shocked. These days, though, heʼd learned to put on a tough face around them. He had to keep his eyes forward—if he allowed himself to be distracted by their sorrows, he wouldnʼt be ready for the bigger fight ahead. 

That was what he kept telling himself to balm his resolve. 

Ignis had just gotten off the phone when he returned to his side on the back of his pick-up. The stocks heʼd meant to deliver to Lestallum had been put to immediate use in the haven, giving them room to lounge. “Talked your ear off?” Gladio asked, handing him a warm bowl of soup. 

Ignis nodded. “I see now why you used the word ‘livingʼ,” he told him, smiling. “Heʼs mostly calmed down by now but I could still feel his excitement all the way here. Heʼs made it to Hammerhead.”

“Good to know,” Gladio said, stirring his own soup with a spoon before he slurped from the rim. Strong hint of ginger and pepper. Shredded meat. Diced potatoes and carrots. Supposedly there were some peas in there, too, but he couldnʼt find them in his bowl. “You tell him about our night?”

“Certainly,” Ignis replied, sipping his own soup. “You should have heard him yell. He wanted to know everything but I told him you were the one who saw everything.”

“Better put my phone on silent, then,” Gladio chuckled, chewing down his vegetables. “Still canʼt believe we managed to take that on between us. If it werenʼt for the fire, though…” He turned to Ignis, tasting his lips in pensive silence. “Ignis?”

He shook his head. “Just putting my tongue on this recipe. Tell me, the woman who served this, does she have a burn on her left side and a gauze on her ear?”

Gladio looked at him in surprise. “Yeah, exactly! You know her?” He hadnʼt even told Ignis that there was a woman working the fire. She was just one of many hunters who continued to serve the cause despite their war injuries, so he didnʼt think she would be particularly special on that end. 

Ignis smiled and nodded. “We met in Old Lestallum during the last storm, the one that went on for a week. Talcott and I were waiting for it to pass before we made our way to Malmalam Thicket, and she was on the gate. I was the one who taught her to cook. She still hasnʼt cut down on her ginger, I see.” He drank his soup again. 

“No way,” Gladio laughed in twinkling surprise at his casual revelation. He beamed at Ignis, nudging him. “Youʼve been cooking again?”

“I try,” Ignis replied humbly. Despite playing down his achievement, however, he smiled triumphantly for it. “Perhaps one day, you, Prompto and I could arrange to meet again. And I could put together something for us. Just like the old days.”

“Yeah?” Gladio had the look of pride on his face when he nodded, then bounced his fist slightly on Ignisʼ arm. Just anything to show him he was happy for him. “Lookinʼ forward to it.” Just as heʼd always had, back in those same old days. 

They brought their bowls to their lips again to eat. In the distance, the wail of a child rang out, searching for her mother. 

“There are children born into this world now without knowing light,” Ignis observed suddenly, lowering his bowl. Gladio had just finished his soup and used his spoon to stir up what was left of Ignisʼ. “Has it been that long?”

“Three years,” Gladio answered, turning to the source of the sound, where he found a man carrying a little girl in his arms, swaying with her. “Thatʼs enough time for a kid to walk.”

“And yet it feels much longer,” Ignis mused, frowning at his dinner. “I used to think surely he would have returned to us by now but…”

Gladio nodded in sympathy. “Guess three years ainʼt long enough in the calendar of the gods,” he followed his thoughts. He turned up his face to the absent moon. “But for us simple folks…you know, sometimes, I still think about that vision you had.” He returned to Ignis who tilted his bowl up to finish it. “Back then…it was the worst thing I could have heard. But after years of endless darkness…Iʼm starting to wonder if that was meant to give us hope.”

“In exchange for the kingʼs life?” Ignis laughed almost bitterly. “I thought his fate would happen in the distant future. That we still had time to change it but…”

“Took me by surprise, too,” Gladio shared. “We didnʼt even get to send him off properly. Just…” He shrugged. “Told him to run for it. Thinking weʼd still meet him at the end of the road.”

“For many has sacrificed all for the king, so the king must sacrifice all for them,” Ignis intoned with a heavy sigh. “I still think about that.”

“Still got questions about it,” Gladio mumbled in agreement, shaking his head as he looked off to the distance where a familiar face was walking. “It shouldnʼt be a sacrifice if itʼs our damn jobs.”

“Something for another day.” Ignis quickly dismissed their conversation while he tilted his chin up a little, facing the same way as Gladio. “Whoʼs coming?”

“Hey, Amicitia!” It was his friend from earlier, the one heʼd kissed, with a clipboard in hand. Gladio answered Ignis quickly before he got too close. “Thought youʼd be in Lestallum by now.”

“Same here,” Gladio replied, greeting him with a fist bump. He nodded to Ignis beside him. “‘cept this guy decided to set Cauthess Station on fire and now here I am.” That was the story behind it—a power overload caused the lights inside the store to stop and brought the daemons out of hiding. Rather than waste more lives trying to evacuate precious goods, Ignis called for the entire building to be burned, supplies and daemons and all. “Sorry about your mark, by the way. You were supposed to get that Red Giant.”

“Yeah, you can imagine how surprised we all were when we heard the radio.” The hunter clapped Ignis on the shoulder to which Ignis nodded, patting him back on the hand. “Been a while, Ignis.”

“How do you do?” Ignis greeted him back. 

“Still alive, thanks to you.” He gestured to them both. “By the time we got to the station, they stopped us before we got in your way. So we just ended up helping with the evacuation.”

“We would have certainly appreciated the extra hand,” Ignis replied politely. 

“Anyway,” Gladioʼs friend waved his clipboard, “need your dog tags.” It was a part of their ongoing effort to keep track of every hunterʼs every movement, especially following a daemonic encounter like the one they just had. 

“Got it right here.” Gladio produced his tags from his right pants pocket. “Ignis?” He turned to him to catch him pulling his free from inside his shirt. 

“Here,” Ignis said, giving his to the hunter, as well. 

“Three tags?” Gladioʼs friend observed, flipping both of the regular ones to inspect them before he came to the third one, which was slimmer and slightly longer than the others. That one was something he and Ignis had made especially for the both of them. 

The hunter stared at the information embossed into the metal, and then turned to face Gladio with his surprise. Gladio only nodded. 

If there was more light to see by than the campfire in the middle, he wondered if he would catch his friend blushing. But he did wince as he dutifully wrote down their details and then handed back their tags to each of them. 

“Weʼre rolling out in a few,” he said as a last helpful advice. “Stay safe wherever you both are going. Say hi to Stel for me, Gladio.”

“See ya around.” Gladio waved at him. After they were left alone, he turned his eyes to his own tags, as well, thumbing for the third one. 

_If in case of loss or death,_ it read, _please surrender to Ignis Scientia._ Ignis had the same note, but one that bared his name, instead. 

Ignis slipped his tags back in through his collar, straightening it up around his neck while he was at it, wincing a little at the effort.

“You okay?” Gladio asked, though he was already reaching for those curatives heʼd looted earlier from the corpse. He wondered if they ever got its tag. 

“Nothing that needs concern,” Ignis assured him, even when he pinched his face as he kneaded his side just under his arm. Possibly a point of impact, Gladio thought, when he offered him a bottle of hi-potion. Ignis smiled and accepted it happily. “But this will help. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He gave Ignis a wink. He took another bottle for himself and cracked it open with his fist, letting its warm light soothe him over the parts where heʼd been battered and bruised. Gladio chuckled at the effect. He always liked to see it for himself, because it meant one thing: “Guess that punkʼs still alive somewhere.” He looked up to the stars—or where there should have been stars if everything was still right. 

“Try not to kill him when he gets back,” Ignis warned him in jest, hopping down to his feet as soon as his own bottle had dissolved, the effects of it immediately obvious in the way he moved easily. Soon enough, his own injuries would be all but gone. “Suppose itʼs time to pack up, then. May I take your bowl, Gladio?” 

“Thanks.” Gladio relinquished it. 

Ignis spent a few moments catching up with the cook, during which Gladio sealed the back of his pick-up and opened the door to his passenger seat. 

“Can I drop you off somewhere?” Gladio offered as Ignis got on. 

“You mentioned you were headed back to Lestallum, yes?” Ignis asked him, pulling the lever beside his seat until he was comfortable. 

“Sure did. Why?” Gladio crossed his arms over his chest, looking bemused at his passenger leaning back to his headrest. “Goinʼ my way?”

Ignis nodded. “If you donʼt mind,” he requested, facing his direction. “I am in need of a more functional lodging tonight seeing as my last one burned down all thanks to me.”

Gladio laughed, clapping him on his arm. “Donʼt worry too much. When this is all over…” He pushed the door shut and went around the nose of his truck to get on the driverʼs seat. “Weʼll make Noct pay for all the damages.”

—

They said goodbye to a couple of their friends before they rolled into the curving road leading them to Lestallum.

“Fancy some coffee when we get there?” Gladio offered, one arm resting atop his open window, the other managing the wheel. He glanced at Ignis who faced the wind from his side. 

Ignis shook his head, turning to the pictures Gladio had taped to his front. “We had quite a challenging night, Gladio. I think it might be in our best interests to head home straight.”

“Yeah, sounds fair,” Gladio agreed with a nod. “Feeling kinda beat myself.” There was exactly one second of a pause before he asked again, “Breakfast tomorrow?”

Ignis beamed brightly. “Are you asking me out on a date, Gladio?”

“Can I?” Gladio glanced at him. “We havenʼt seen each other in two months, Ignis. Before that, about three months back…” He shrugged. “We didnʼt even get to spend much time together. I mean, besides…”

He trailed off when Ignis turned away, facing the night again. “That was…” he began after a full minute. “Rather…uncouth of me, wasnʼt it? I…do apologize.”

Gladio chuckled, grinning at the road ahead. “Whatʼs there to apologize for? You were the one who gave me head.” He knew where he was coming from, though—about three months ago, on a joint hunt, Ignis pulled Gladio suddenly to the back of a caravan, stripped him of his pants and took him in his mouth while he stroked himself until they came. After that, they made out briefly and then… 

And then called it a night. 

That was both…a satisfying and _the_ most unsatisfying experience heʼd ever had with Ignis. He liked his mouth just fine but he didnʼt want him just for his mouth. He wanted Ignis—the entirety of him. 

“Still hung up about it?” Gladio asked to break the silence. He glanced at Ignis to see him touching his lips pensively. Making him want to kiss them. 

Ignis smiled and turned to the window again. “Just worried about your impression on me.” Gladio laughed. 

Putting his free hand on the wheel, he reached and grasped for Ignisʼ with his other one. Ignis turned to him, though he said nothing. “Busy?” he asked. 

Ignis shook his head. “I…it is simply that—”

“Then go out with me.” Gladio glanced at him. “Tonight, tomorrow…even just for some drinks.”

“Gladio—”

“Cʼmon, man, I miss you,” Gladio pressed on. “Feels like I havenʼt kissed you in a while, you know?”

“I miss you, too, Gladio,” Ignis confessed to him, frowning. “When I took you in my mouth, that was…I was hoping to sate my own want for you, thatʼs why I acted so selfishly.”

“Then tonight, Ignis.”

“Gladio, I am no longer the only one who owns your time,” Ignis cut him. “I…” He faced his lap. “I have known this…for the past year now. Itʼs different now that we have different jobs…different companions.”

“What are you saying?” Gladio breathed quietly. “Ignis, I never—” He never stopped thinking about him. 

But the phone was ringing. And he knew who it was before he saw the name on the screen. He said he was going to call her back. 

“Shit,” Gladio snarled, raking at his hair in frustration before he grabbed his phone from the dash. “Sorry, I gotta take this,” he muttered before he answered the call. He had to let go of Ignisʼ hand. 

“Stel, hey,” he greeted her, looking briefly at Ignis. Ignis slipped off his visor and scratched gently at his scarred eye with his knuckle. 

“ _Gladio, youʼre okay now, then?_ ” Stel sighed over at the other line. “ _I was so worried when you hung up all of a sudden! Iris wouldnʼt leave until we heard from the radio that you were safe._ ”

“Yeah,” Gladio said, smiling slightly. “Ignis is with me.” 

“ _Ignis?_ ” Gladio caught Ignis facing him. “ _Thatʼs a relief. You havenʼt seen each other in a spell! Is he okay?_ ”

“Yeah, heʼs fine.”

“ _Thatʼs good to know. Will you two be coming over, then?_ ” Gladio glanced at his lover again. “ _Gladio?_ ”

“Yeah, um…probably not tonight,” he replied. Up ahead, the tunnel to Lestallum was coming up. “Iʼm dropping him off his place and then…I might stay a while.”

“ _Okay, then._ ” Ignis faced him, looking a bit surprised, he thought. “ _Call me when youʼre there, okay? Or if I donʼt answer, just leave a message. Somethingʼs up in the powerplant so I might be called in._ ”

“Got it. Stay safe, Stel.”

“ _You, too, Gladio._ ”

He finally hung up, put his phone back to the dashboard. 

“Gladio—” Ignis began. 

“Somethingʼs up in the powerplant.” Gladio spoke ahead of him. “Stel might be called in to work.”

Ignis nodded, facing the tunnel wall. 

“Have sex with me tonight, Ignis.” Gladio turned to him. Ignis broke out in a smile suddenly. “Let’s go to your place.”

“After she calls you to check in on you, you proposition your lover.”

“You, too?” Gladio huffed. “Stel and I arenʼt dating. You think I wouldnʼt tell you if we were?”

“Thatʼs an odd thing to say for a man who has been living with her for a year now.”

“You think itʼs ‘cause I have a choice?” At the end of the tunnel, the golden lights of Lestallum finally burst out in a warm glaze. Gladio slowed down as he turned to look for a parking spot. “If we werenʼt forced to live like sardines in this town, I would have wanted to get a place for the both of us. But youʼre hardly home,” he said to him, looking at him, “and I canʼt afford that place on my own.” He turned back to the road and finally found one, just next to one of the old scopes, back when that area still used to be a lookout. “Besides, itʼs not like they still open up new units these days.” 

He made a turn towards it, switched off the ignition, and rolled his windows up. Gladio pulled the key free but didnʼt open the door to get out yet. 

“Stel doesnʼt mean this much to me,” he went on, looking back at Ignis. “But you do. Youʼre second only to my duty to Noct, you know that.” Ignis nodded. 

So he pulled himself closer to him, putting his arm around the back of the passenger seat. “Iʼm asking you, Ignis. Donʼt say no to me tonight. I ainʼt ready let you go just yet.”

That made Ignis laugh, that same smile drawn across his face. “Should I be touched that you think I can? That I ever could?” His laughter had turned joyless, and something twisted his brows despite the smile that persisted on him. “Even if I had the power, I canʼt lie to myself all the time, Gladio. So you should know…that this space between us…”

Gladio felt a pang in his heart when Ignis frowned as if someone had twisted a knife in his gut. 

“Itʼs driving me crazy, too,” Ignis whispered, voice softened by the pain of being inches apart.

—

“So youʼve never slept with anyone?”

Gladio shook his head, strolling up along one of the backstreets from the main thoroughfare next to his lover, their little fingers twisted idly together between themselves. Almost as if they were a secret couple sleeping behind peopleʼs backs. “Havenʼt been in the mood for just about anyone,” he confessed, turning to the man next to him. “Besides, even if I was, itʼd be a turn-off if I screamed someone elseʼs name, yeah?”

Ignis snorted, beaming at the little compliment. 

“You?”

“Iʼve been very busy,” he admitted. “And have…kept myself busy when I find myself craving for you.”

“Huh.” Gladio stopped them both. “So should we—” He looked back to a narrow street just behind his shoulder.

“Thereʼs no need,” Ignis said, catching him before they took a detour. “Sometimes when I canʼt take it, I touch myself. So I have one in my drawer.”

Gladio nodded even when he couldnʼt see. “Okay, then.” At Ignisʼ signal, he went back to their route. “That satisfy you?”

Ignis smiled almost shyly when he shook his head. “You know it takes more than that to do it for me.”

At the end of the path was an old building called the _Hunterʼs Lodge_. It used to house offices until the mother of a hunter killed in the line of duty bought it with her daughterʼs insurance, and repurposed it into what it was now: an apartment exclusive to hunters or their loved ones. 

Ignis was one of the lucky ones to bag a unit during its opening week. These days, the only chance a hunter might have in landing a room was if its previous tenant finally died. 

Through the simple door was a small chamber with the reception desk, the admin office behind it, and then a set of lockers for each unit. Tonight, the proprietress herself stood behind the counter, gray-haired and comfortable in her duster. She personally welcomed them with a warm smile on her face—a living hunter was better than a dead one, after all. 

And she had good news: “Youʼve come home just in time, Ignis. They finally fixed the heating system for good so thereʼs hot water in the bathroom now.”

“That is certainly good to hear,” Ignis agreed. He thanked her for the advice, took some letters from his locker and then led the way up to the third floor where he took a unit between the stairwell and the windows looking out to town. 

“Even though I can no longer see whatʼs outside,” Ignis explained, slipping his keys into the doorknob when he finally found it with his left, “Iʼve spoiled myself and insisted on a room with a view.”

“Windows ainʼt just for lookinʼ, anyway,” Gladio sympathized, waiting for him to step through the dark space before he went in after him. “Though the airʼs been full of pollution these days. And thereʼs not much to see out there—nothing but night and the streetlights.” He flipped on the light switch. 

The room was incredibly spartan at best—a bed on one side, a small bureau next to it, a closet where one side couldnʼt open completely with the lack of space, the door to the bathroom, a chair without a table… 

That was it. It was so cramped, it made Ignisʼ first apartment feel like a mansion. 

“An accidental advantage to blindness, I see,” Ignis mused, slipping off his blazer. “Without sight, I could imagine whatever I want through my window. A quiet neighborhood in Insomnia, the sea beyond Cape Caem during daylight…” He tossed it to where he knew the chair was. 

Gladio pushed the door shut behind him, pressing the lock and then sliding the chain just above it. He pulled his own jacket from his shoulders, and then his shirt up over his head. Those ones, he left on the same chair as he marched up to Ignis from the back while he pulled his right glove free. 

“Well, I suppose weʼll both want a wash first,” Ignis went on, tossing it to his bed. Gladio caught his left hand just before he began to work on it, surrounding him with his arms to take care of his last glove himself. So he could bring his bared knuckles to his lips and kiss them. Ignis smiled, turning towards him. “Though itʼs a little difficult to stay patient for long, isnʼt it?”

“Iʼve waited much longer for this night to happen,” Gladio rumbled, carrying the same hand to his scarred cheek so Ignis could feel the line on his fingertips again. With one arm around his waist, he began to undo the buttons of his shirt. “So I think Iʼll take as long as I need to enjoy my time with you.”

“Donʼt take too long to come inside me, though.”

“Still hungry for me, are ya? After gobbling me all up?” Gladio laughed deeply in his chest. He slipped his fingers through the opening on Ignisʼ shirt to find his nipple waiting to be teased. Ignis shuddered in his arms. “How ‘bout here? Still sensitive here?”

Ignis turned his head to look more closely at him. He was still so handsome, Gladio thought. And he wouldnʼt admit it out of guilt but he would even say that those scars had somehow made his features more striking. 

Those fingers that explored Gladioʼs scar, they followed the trail down to his lips to feel them softly. “For you,” Ignis whispered, blind eyes trying to search for his face. “Always.”

—

They didnʼt wait much longer to start even as they squeezed into the shower together.

If it werenʼt for the limited availability of hot water and the guilt they carried as responsible citizens, Gladio thought they might finish each other off right then and there. They were hungry for each otherʼs mouths, devouring them in kisses while Ignis fastened his fingers around his drenched locks just behind his neck and Gladio pulled his long leg up so he could grind their cocks together, pinning him to the wall. Sometimes, when they remembered, they tried to lather each other up, sharing Ignisʼ bath stuff. But mostly, Gladio was too busy prepping him to bother with proper shower etiquette. 

“Not too deep,” Ignis moaned, chest against the wall while Gladio softened him with his fingers inside him. He turned to him over his shoulder though his blind eyes were closed. “I want to wait for you inside me.”

“Iʼm finishing you off with my dick inside you, all right,” Gladio snarled to his ear, getting impatient with all this endless foreplay but they were a necessary evil. “Cʼmere and give us a kiss.” He grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled his back flush to his chest, under running water. 

With their lips sealed, he could use the same grabbing hand to pinch his nipple, causing him to writhe and tighten around Gladio. Ignis latched onto his neck with his left and used the other to take hold himself and stroke him between his legs.

“Are you watching this?” he hissed when they parted for air. 

“You bet I am,” Gladio moaned, running his tongue up his ear, stirring at the sight. “Why donʼt I help you with that?” 

“Maybe if I could still see, that would turn me on but Iʼm different now.” Ignis smirked wickedly. “Keep playing with me like this. I want to feel you all over me. How much you want me.”

“I can do that,” Gladio chuckled. He bit him on his shoulder, then, and twisted and pulled on his teat, making him jolt and cry. 

Ignis turned off the water and pulled him out of the shower soon enough, both of them waddling back to his bed as they kissed and locked their mouths, absolutely soaked but hard and excited for sex. Gladio grabbed his hands and forced them away from his shoulders. 

Then he shoved him to his bed, where Ignis landed with his legs sprawled out, his dick wagging like a dogʼs tail. Apparently he liked that with the way he bit his smile. 

Gladio ran his fingers up his wet hair, tugging his hair tie free, grinning back at him. “You like it rough tonight?” He padded to his bureau. 

“Since I canʼt see you, Iʼll have to make do with my other senses,” Ignis explained so helpfully. “First drawer to the right.”

He located the lube easily enough, tossed it to the bed while he picked himself up and gave himself a few brisk strokes. “Well, your sense of touch and hearingʼs fine, all right…but how about your sense of taste?”

Ignis laughed suddenly, pushing himself off the bed at that little hint. “I must admit, thatʼs a good one,” he said. 

“Yeah?” Gladio beamed, suddenly proud of himself. “Ya think so?”

“Very much,” Ignis replied, sitting up with his hands on the bed. Waiting in complete obedience. 

What a sexy look on him. Gladio stirred with a sweet ache. He felt so absolutely spoiled right now. 

“Open wide for me,” he prompted him, taking him gently by his chin so he could caress the lower of his lips when he parted them. 

Gladio slipped himself past them, into Ignisʼ wet mouth. Ignis received him with what sounded like a grateful noise which only served to thrill him and goad him in his movements. That tender hand heʼd used to guide him slid up to his crown and grabbed itself a fistful of hair. 

Ignis started, hands flying suddenly to catch the part of the shaft he couldnʼt fit in his mouth, just when Gladio started rocking into him. His tongue moved frantically around his head while he tried to suck him when he could catch him. 

It made Gladio giggle, this little game they were playing. Fucking Ignis like this, with one hand on his hair, the other just hanging at his side, it certainly stroked his manhood, in every sense of the word. “Ignis, have I ever told you how fucking good you look with my dick in your mouth?”

At a different time, depending on the game they were playing, he might have cried offense when Ignis pushed him back so he could free his mouth and wipe his lips. But he wouldnʼt miss those words he spoke just for a few more seconds with his tongue: “When have I _ever_ not looked good?”

A haughty brag that made Gladio giddy. He may be scarred, and then bruised from the recent battle they won, but he was still a cheeky son of a bitch. How could he refuse him? 

He waited for Ignis to lick his lips and open his mouth before he plunged in again, this time accompanied by a delighted hum from the chef. That tickled him deeply, too. 

“Yeah? You like that?” he chuckled, tightening his grasp on his hair while he swung his pelvis faster into him. “How ‘bout this? You like this?”

Ignis might have said something with his moan if his mouth wasnʼt too full of Gladio. His fingers fixed themselves loosely around his girth before they could make a wrong pull. 

He choked when Gladio shoved too deep all of a sudden, pulling his mouth wider quickly before he could injure Gladio with his teeth. 

And yet Gladio had the gall to laugh when he pulled out so Ignis could cough, touching his neck. “Iʼm sorry,” he giggled, crouching low, legs apart to make room for his rigid erection, so he could inspect Ignisʼ blushing lips, combing his locks up and off his face. “Did I hurt you? Iʼm sorry, Ignis.”

“If youʼre still mad at me for what I did,” Ignis hacked, massaging his throat, “just tell me so.” It was clear that he meant it in jest, though. 

“Iʼm not,” Gladio assured him, kissing him on his lips. “I swear. Iʼm sorry.” He was still laughing softly as he peppered more along his lips. “Here. Let me kiss you better.”

When Ignis caught his lips, he didnʼt let him go and trapped him with his hands along his jaw. He pulled him down to bed with him, until Gladio tapped his wrist to be let go. 

So he could finally reach for the lube and soak himself liberally in it, hooking an easy hand under Ignisʼ knee after to open him up. Lowering himself to his chest, he blew lightly over the skin just to tell his blind lover where he was. He didnʼt wait for an acknowledgement, though, before he flicked his tongue over his right nipple and covered it with his mouth to suckle it. 

Making Ignis laugh and kick slightly, as if this was the first time heʼd ever done it but Gladio delighted upon it, anyway. He left it a kiss, trailed his way up to Ignisʼ face with a wet mouth and a long tongue. 

His eyes were open. Each of them, he greeted with more kisses before he ran his lips along the texture of his gash. He wondered how it felt when the ring burned through his flesh. 

“Ignis,” he whispered softly through his smile.

“Gladio?” Ignis touched his scar. 

Gladio shook his head. “Nothing.” He kissed Ignisʼ thumb when it found his lips. “I just wanted to say your name. While Iʼm looking at you.” He smiled again with Ignis, lowering his forehead to meet his loverʼs until their lips could touch. He brought his head close to his entrance. 

Ignis sang out softly as he slipped inside him. He was still a little too tight inside, though, and while he was so tempted to push in and to enjoy that sweetness, before he got ahead of them, he started to pull out. 

Until Ignis grabbed his shoulder and threatened to break it with his fingers. 

Gladio yelped and growled at him. “Ignis?!”

“Where do you think youʼre going?” he snarled back. 

“You’re too tight, I wonʼt fit,” he snapped. 

“You will,” Ignis persisted, his other hand trailing urgently to Gladioʼs ass to squeeze it. Even when his eyes were frosted and unfocused, Gladio swore he felt like they were looking at him. “Just go deeper.”

“Youʼll get hurt.”

“Perhaps thatʼs what I want, Gladio,” Ignis rasped, softening his grip on his shoulder as if he realized he could leave a bruise there. “Perhaps Iʼve missed you too much, I want it to hurt. I want to feel it the next day and remember how youʼve ravaged me.”

“Ignis!”

“The world is in shambles and I have managed to stay sane for this long,” he went on, caressing Gladioʼs clavicle. “Am I not permitted to lose my better sense for one night with my lover? Who promises me he would do _anything_ for his Ignis.”

“You know how strong I am, Ignis.” Gladio refused to let Ignis guilt trip his way into this. “You know how _big_ I am! I could hurt you!”

“I wonʼt want what I donʼt know, Gladio.” Ignis dug his fingernail deeper into his collarbone until it hurt. Gladio started to cry again. 

So Ignis silenced him when he raised himself to his ear and whispered, moaning, “Do you not want whatʼs inside me, Gladio? You always tell me how hot and tight I am and how it drives you mad. How long have you been holding out?”

“Come _on_ , Ignis…!” he hissed, teeth bared at his lover. What made it worse was how the thought of his words turned him on. 

“If you wonʼt give it to me, I know how to get it.” He raised his other knee, as if he would throw Gladio to his back so he could straddle him. 

That was a serious threat. “Fine!” Gladio snarled, glaring at him. “But if you start to hurt—”

“Weʼll invent a safeword,” Ignis suggested, though with that wicked grin on his face, Gladio wasnʼt sure he wanted to hear it. 

“Like what?” he humored him, anyway. 

Ignis beamed at him. “Hail Noct.”

That made Gladio burst in laughter, unwinding the tension on his core muscles. It was a real safeword (safephrase?), all right. He couldnʼt imagine the hilarity of either of them blaring it out proudly but at this point, it only made him more excited. Only Ignis could ever do that to him. Ignis carried himself up to his lips again so he could follow him down to his pillow. 

He pulled himself free, brushing his thumb along the jagged edge of the scar on Ignisʼ cheek. Smiling happily. “Gods, I love you, Ignis.” He didnʼt realize how easy it was to say that. 

Or that heʼd said it at all. Until Ignisʼ face fell open suddenly in surprise, and his smile spread out in warm relief. Those eyes of his, even when theyʼd lost their hue, Gladio thought, despite his own shock, that they sparkled. “I love you, too, Gladio,” he whispered, laughing in his breath. 

They kissed, and against his better judgment, Gladio finally gave in. Lined himself up and closing his eyes, forced himself through his tight flesh in a deliberate swing, even as Ignis jumped and wailed. Squeezed him desperately in a mixture of want and pain. It was just as Ignis said: this was driving him crazy. 

“Ignis,” he gasped, carrying both his legs up to trap his knees to his shoulders, “Gods, youʼre so fucking hot!”

“I know.” Ignis was laughing again, laying his hands onto his shoulders. “And it feels so good to have you inside—” He cried out when Gladio thrust inside him again, the next note ringing louder than the last, the deeper he dug. 

He wanted to hurt so he gave it to him. He had always been so weak for Ignis. Fingers pressing deeply into his sides, Gladio snapped his hips relentlessly even as Ignis clawed at the meat of his back and screamed, clenching around him. 

“Gladio!” Ignis turned his face to the side, features twisted tightly. “Gladio, please!!”

“Do you want me to stop?” he breathed, keeping his eyes on his lover. 

But Ignis shook his head urgently. And he was still tight and trembling inside, and gods, he felt so good. So desperate and weak for his ramming cock. He should feel sick with guilt, Gladio thought, but he only wanted more. 

And so did Ignis. “Harder,” he groaned, spreading his fingers along Gladioʼs shoulders. “Deeper!”

Gladio grabbed him by his hips and slammed right into him just as he pulled. Ignis arched his back with a loud roar. 

“Gods, youʼre impossible,” Gladio panted. “You really want this so badly, donʼt you?” He took one of his nipples and gave it a twist. 

Ignis started with a whimper, writhing. “I never thought I would either,” he groaned heavily. Gladio pressed his thumbnails under his areolas. He wanted to leave bruises on his chest, too. Ignis whimpered. “But blindness changes you more than you can imagine. And since the pain comes from you, then Iʼll take it all.” He moaned, sliding his hands down to Gladioʼs pecs. “I want it all…oh how Iʼve missed you, Gladio.”

“I missed you, too, Ignis,” Gladio hissed. He pulled himself up, shifted himself between his loverʼs legs and started pounding him again, to get him singing. 

He didnʼt spare him any warning when he pulled out, flipped him to his stomach and spread his ass to pierce through him again. Ignisʼ scream was muffled by the pillow he bit. He was softer now, though, easier to slide in and out of, less resistant to his invasion. He did this, Gladio thought. Ignis had let him do this to him. 

Ignis moaned out his name, turning his face to look at him while Gladio pulled up his ass and drove into him faster, the slaps of their flesh ringing more urgently with his desire. He reached for his cock between his parted legs. 

Gladio caught the offensive hand by the wrist and twisted the arm to lock it on his back. Ignis howled again, tightening around him, swirling his hips. With his free hand, he reached down and took Ignisʼ wet cock in his fingers, rubbing the pre-cum all over his head. 

“You’re getting close, arenʼt you, Ignis?” he mumbled to his ear, making sure to smile so he could feel it. Ignis trembled at his voice, his warm weight along his beautiful back. And then he cried again when Gladio pinched his glans, shaking along his ass. “How do you want me to finish you off? Like this? On your back? Your side?”

Even before he asked the question, he knew the answer: “My back,” Ignis groaned when Gladio squeezed his fruits and his wrist. “I want to be done on my back.” He always did. 

Gladio pressed another kiss on his lips. “As you wish.”

He wouldnʼt do it just yet, though. He wouldnʼt be so cruel to the both of them. He spoiled himself a little longer with a view of Ignisʼ ass, stroking him up and down along his thighs, squeezing the meat enough to leave small bruises. 

“Tell me,” Gladio snarled. 

“Harder,” Ignis begged him, tears in his voice. “Fuck me harder, please! Donʼt ever let me forget…!”

His hand was rough when he pulled his back up to his chest, a jealous arm squeezing him tightly along his ribs like a snake as he pummeled him like this, leaving him no room to escape or breathe from the pain of his love. The bed groaned and squeaked as he bounced Ignis on his lap. Gladio pinched his right nipple, too painful just to tease. Ignis writhed and started to fight for a little freedom until Gladio lashed his other arm around his flat belly to capture him. 

It took them a moment to be comfortable in this new position, before Gladio drove himself into him again and Ignis stammered out a long noise, playing a chorus with the slapping of their flesh. Steel fingers dug into Gladioʼs fast hold to grip his wrists, as if to embrace him tighter. 

Gladio had to take a moment from his cruelty to press his face onto his loverʼs back, breathe in his warm scent. Before he scaled his shoulder again to bite down hard. Pulling a deep grunt from Ignis who slurred out his name, leaning to open his neck for him. Not enough. He wanted to see his face. 

So, he turned him around and brought Ignis to his lap so he could sheath himself to the hilt with a cry. He was so beautiful, Gladio thought, throwing his head back as he ground his hips against him in circles. Those bruises under his nipples, he kneaded them again. 

“Gladio,” he moaned, running his hands up his face, almost as if in disbelief. With his large hands, he grabbed his ass again and squeezed it. “Gladio, has it always felt this good? I never want to stop…”

“We donʼt have to,” Gladio chuckled, nipping him at his neck before he marked a wet patch on his chest to leave his love bite on, while his hand slid up to rub his teat in circles and the other down to fondle his heavy fruits. “You wanna move your ass for me?”

Ignis nodded, taking a moment to breathe before he started bouncing himself on Gladioʼs lap, skewering himself over and over to his wet erection. 

“Good,” Gladio grunted, lapping up his teats before he suckled his favorite and pinched the other. “Good…gods, Ignis, you feel so fucking good!” With Ignisʼ rise and fall, it felt like his pliant walls were sucking up his swollen flesh inside. 

Ignis could only reply with a desperate moan, fingers grabbing his own hair. It was only when his movements were starting to become erratic that Gladio pushed him to his back and raised his legs up around his waist. 

He trapped his arms above his head as he started to pound him, Ignis dancing and gasping and pulling against his hand around his forearms. He cried out his name again, gritting his teeth. 

Gladio took his rigid flesh in his hand and squeezed it, forcing out more pre-cum and another high moan from his lover turning his face to his arm. “Does it feel good, Ignis?” he growled. “Do you like what Iʼm doing to you?”

“Yes,” he answered obediently. “Yes, Gladio! Everything…I want everything…”

They kissed until Ignis ran out of breath and started to push him off with his chest or his hips but with little success. Gladio took the hint, though, and finally broke their mouths. 

Set him free so he could pull Ignis in a fierce embrace, careless of his bones, and Ignis could wrap his own arms around him. 

“Ignis,” Gladio snarled to his neck, heavy inside his lover while he breached him with rapid thrusts. “ _Ignis._ ”

Ignis could barely get his name through his throat before he started panting heavily, hips jumping in spasms. 

The only time he could say his name was when he cried it as he came, crashing his pelvis sharply into Gladioʼs. He let Ignis hump himself faster for his release while he spent himself inside him, finishing up in great spurts. 

Gladio kissed him on his neck to leave another hickey on it, where anyone could see it. Ignis couldnʼt stop him, sprawled out under his bulk in total exhaustion as he was. 

“Another round?” he quipped at him when he came up for air. Ignis was red all over, but smiled and chuckled weakly back when he shook his head. 

“Canʼt,” he exhaled. “So…so raw…but so, so satisfied…” he assured Gladio, a shaking hand brushing at the tip of his scar. “So thoroughly satisfied. Right now…just want to be surrounded by your arms…and weight. Please, Gladio…” he half-mumbled, half-moaned. 

“Please?” Gladioʼs breath crackled with his laughter. “When did I ever deny you…?” 

They kissed again before Gladio laid himself on his side and slipped himself out of Ignisʼ legs. Ignis pulled himself closer until he could sleep to the sound of his breathing and his heartbeat. He was like a child, he thought. First wanting one thing, and then another. 

He would give it to him all, if he could. In these dark days when they had so little between them. His love, his warmth, until they hurt. Gladio wrapped him tighter in his arms enough to bruise, putting a leg over Ignisʼ so Ignis could entwine his own with the other one. 

The way they held each other, it was almost as if they were both scared tomorrow would pull them away.

—

Ignis had several bruises on his wrists, his chest, his sides, his hips where heʼd grabbed him, his legs and his ass where heʼd penetrated him repeatedly, on top of the ones theyʼd sustained in battle. He had a bite mark on his shoulder, two hickeys, and swollen lips from all their kissing.

And yet watching his lover sleep, Gladio couldnʼt help but wonder if that was enough. If Ignis wanted more decorations along his body, if he should have been harsher. As if those discolorations were medals Ignis wanted to brandish, to show everyone how much Gladio loved and desired him. 

He combed his fingers gently along Ignisʼ hair before he laid a kiss on his lips. Someone's phone started ringing. 

His. Gladio bit back a snarl as he got up quickly to silence it before it roused Ignis, putting it to his ear as he answered. “Iris, whatʼs up?”

“ _Gladdy, that nagarani we were keeping an eye on finally reappeared!_ ” she squealed, in a way that only she could squeal in these dark times. “ _The other hunters are closing in on her but I told them weʼll be there as fast as we can._ ” Of course. Of course it was work. 

He couldnʼt say no, though. This nagarani was a mark heʼd had his eyes on since its appearance, some remnant from his past as a duty to his Noct. With several foiled hunts to its name, he couldnʼt very well leave his sister alone to it even if he knew she could manage on her own. 

Even if it meant…even if it meant that he would have to leave his lover so soon after they were reunited… 

His heart was full of regrets when he looked at him, sleeping blissfully on his side. “Give me half an hour. Iʼll meet you at the lookout,” he managed before he could change his mind. 

“ _Roger that!_ ”

They hung up. Gladio ran his hand guiltily over his hair as he turned back to the clueless Ignis. In truth, he didnʼt need so long to get ready for the hunt but it would be difficult to let go of his lover like this. He wanted to spend more time with him, hear him scream his name again. 

So he padded back to his bed, and spooned the shorter man carefully in his arms so he could leave him kisses on his cheeks, his ears and his shoulders. Just like what he used to do when they were younger. And had more time for themselves, less problems to weigh them down. When sex was just a way to enjoy themselves and not a desperate ticket to rekindle and reconnect. 

In those days, he remembered how he loved to spend…waste his time, really, just watching the man sleep, let himself fall in love with him…crashing again and again. He wished he could bring those blissful days back from the dead but so many things have changed since. They were running out of time for themselves, for each other. 

Even the body he now held had become different from the one he knew. He could tell it from the breadth of his shoulders, leading down to his stocky chest and arms, those little scarred nicks from years spent in darkness, stretch marks mapping out the time Gladio had missed. Like an accusation of a failed promise—he said he wanted to see this body grow and change in his hands but he didnʼt. Couldnʼt—fate was more cruel than his love had prepared him for. 

As before, he lost; Ignis woke up suddenly to catch him with his lips, reaching up to trap his head in his hands. He shifted on his back slowly while Gladio was still distracted with his kiss. 

They smiled at each other when they parted, Gladio on his elbow, pressed up closely to his side. 

Ignis sought out his scar, touching the strip with two fingers. “Make love with me again, Gladio,” he said all of a sudden. Wouldnʼt he just like that? But—

“Ignis,” Gladio sighed heavily. “I gotta go.”

“Then weʼll do it quickly,” Ignis persisted, nodding at him to ask him to give in. “Just once. Please.” How could he say no to that? 

He made love to him again, more softly now, basking only in the sweet sounds of Ignisʼ moans while he held him down by his wrist, coating him in kisses. As if to leave him enough souvenirs until they met each other again. 

After that, he took a shower to wash Ignis off his skin. When Gladio stepped out, tying the top half of his hair with his black band again, Ignis was still on his side, looking lonely on his bed. 

It was like being seared by a Red Giantʼs flaming sword through his chest, and even that would be a gift. Gladio stopped to exhale. Wished he could put himself back in Ignisʼ arms but what would he say to his sister? Those hunters who counted on him to join them? 

He picked his clothes up where they were scattered in the room and got dressed. Whatever made it harder for him to return to Ignisʼ bed. When he was done, he went back to his loverʼs side, crouching to face him. 

They kissed again, briefly, just enough for Gladio to feel his lips before their foreheads met again. 

“I gotta go now,” he repeated, brushing Ignisʼ scar. “Iʼll call you when I can,” he promised. Ignis nodded. Finally, he pushed himself up to his feet and started to leave. 

“Gladio?” He heard the rustle of sheets and turned quickly to catch him sitting up on his bed. “Gladio!” Ignis called to him, suddenly alive from his loneliness, gripping his sheets tightly. 

“I never stopped,” he choked, frowning deeply. “Even after we agreed to forget about our relationship, our feelings for each other, I never stopped loving you! When I told you last night that I loved you, too,” Ignis nodded, “I meant every word I said. I love you, Gladio! I always have.” And somehow, he always knew. Heʼd always known. 

But then, hearing those words from the man himself…it made it easier for him to go that morning. Made him feel…lighter. As if a great burden had been lifted from him. 

They loved each other. Now, there was no world of darkness that could part them too long. 

“I know,” Gladio assured him. He tossed his hand to a side. “‘swhy I never stopped loving you back. Since I was 18, Ignis.” Young. Full of dreams. Clueless about the dark future he would one day live to see. “Iʼve always loved you, too.”

A confession that seemed to balm his loverʼs rage. His hand eased around his sheet, and when he smiled, the color of relief warmed his skin. 

Gladio smiled back, emboldened by Ignisʼ confession. Ignis loved him, after all… 

He waved to him. “So Iʼll see you around, Ignis,” he promised him again. And this time, he knew they would come across each other again. 

Ignis nodded. “‘til we meet again, Gladio.”


	19. Chapter 19

Now that they said that they loved each other, they also said that they had a responsibility towards each other. It wouldnʼt be like the way it was in the past, where they had rules about their schedules, their calls and stuff. But just that they had to make time for each other. Or at least try. 

Years passed on in darkness. And while the daemons showed no signs of relenting, the people, as they so often did, found a way to live out their lives in the midst of their infestation. 

Even with their responsibilities to the people and the king, Gladio and Ignis were no different. Though it was still difficult for them to keep in touch, they did their best—with brief calls, messages left on the phone or meeting in an outpost halfway between them even just for 15 minutes. Just enough time for coffee and a nap on a shoulder. If they got lucky. In rare occasions, the gods granted them a merciful boon and gave them an entire night or day with each other. 

In the fifth year of darkness, Gladio thought they were given the same gift. It was going to be five years to the day that Noctis left and he and Ignis and Prompto thought it might be a good idea to meet up, on behalf of their missing friend. At the same time, Gladio and Stel were moving up from their cramped two-bedroom apartment to an entire detached unit that used to belong to the couple who managed the soup kitchen on the first floor. Until one fell ill and was followed closely by the other. 

That day they were going to meet up, Gladio decided it might not be a bad idea to put together a little housewarming while they were at it. Iris and Talcott were going to come, of course, and so were Monica and Dustin. And Cor the Immortal and Cid Sophiar were going to try. 

Prompto was the first to back out—a group of daemons had taken advantage of a dust storm in Leide that took out some power in Hammerhead. The damages were serious, and he couldnʼt very well leave Cindy when they were ripe for another attack while repairs were underway. Gladio passed on the message to Ignis who then assured him that he would be coming. 

He just didnʼt realize that when Ignis said that, he meant that he would be coming to help with the preparations. 

Gladio was surprised to catch his voice in the tiny kitchen when he stepped out of his bedroom that morning. At first, he couldnʼt believe who it was he was hearing and thought that maybe his thoughts of the man were only playing tricks with him. But then, theyʼd been together for close to a decade now. 

And Stel did say so herself when she caught him looking into the kitchen, all bright eyes and wide smile, batter on her fingers when she announced, “Gladio, look who it is!” and stepped back to show him. 

And there was Ignis in the flesh, dressed in one of the soup kitchenʼs apron while he arranged some chops of meat on a silver tray for marinating. He had a ready smile on his face when Gladio found him. 

“Ignis!” Gladio could hardly keep his excitement in check when he passed his housemate and seized their guest in his arms, though Ignis couldnʼt return the gesture with his fingers soaked in dressing, as it were. “Ignis, Iʼm so happy to see you!”

“I can tell,” Ignis chuckled, tilting his head towards Gladioʼs as a substitute for his own embrace. “Iʼm very happy to see you, as well.”

“Will you be okay here with Gladio, Ignis?” Stel asked from her side of the kitchen while she washed the batter from her hands. “Iʼll just check on the soup kitchen to see if the head chef has finally arrived.”

“Yes, Stel,” Ignis assured her. “Leave this man with me.”

Stel waved to the both of them before she left. 

Finally giving Gladio the freedom to cup Ignisʼ face and greet him with a kiss. Ignis kissed back—as best as he could with his fingers still wet with marinate. “Well, youʼre here early,” was his giddy observation, smiling closely to him. “Couldn’t wait to see me?”

“Couldn’t not see you,” Ignis rephrased, stepping away from his loverʼs grasp so he could finally wash his hands and dry them on his apron. “I said I would come but unfortunately, Cid and I wonʼt be able to make it to dinner.”

“No?” 

“Terrible timing, really,” Ignis sighed. “First Prompto, and now me. So I thought Iʼd come by early anyway to at least help out with the preparations.”

It used to be that such change of plans would have invited quite some protestations from Gladio but by now, he was used to this part of a hunterʼs life. So he only frowned when Ignis found his way back to his arms again, now that he could finally wrap his own around his neck. “Canʼt say we donʼt appreciate you helping out like that, though. But whatʼs wrong?”

“That Solheim scholar I told you who fell in a coma last week,” Ignis began to explain. “Sheʼs awake now. And sheʼs ready to take in visitors.”

Gladio breathed out. Then laughed briefly. “Youʼve put me in a difficult position of being disappointed and relieved at the same time.”

Ignis smiled with him and leaned in to kiss him on his lips, both of them lingering, waiting until one of them pulled free. 

Gladio leaned his forehead onto Ignisʼ while he caressed his scarred cheek with the back of his fingers. “At least stay for breakfast? Havenʼt had mine yet.” 

An easy invitation for Ignis to accept. “Perhaps let me put something together for you. As an apology for missing out on your housewarming.”

He managed to whip up an old favorite of Gladioʼs from their camping days, using whatever they had in their simple kitchen. Which was a feat in and of itself considering how many times Gladio interrupted him to hug him or kiss him. Stel returned just in time to enjoy the meal with them. 

Gladio thought it was funny to see the both of them interact—like two parts of his life coming together. Theyʼd met on some rare occasions in the past but most of it was only chance encounters, brief pleasantries and then shorter goodbyes. 

But they never shared a meal until now. This was the first time Gladio was seeing them speak about their appreciation for fine coffee or their nostalgia for road trips or owning a car. Or the varying joys and difficulties of the work they did for the people. 

_For the people._ When Stel shared that as her motivation for staying on in Exineris despite the stress in these times of darkness, Gladio noticed the smile that crossed Ignisʼ face. He never failed to thank her, as well, whenever she made sure his glass was never empty. 

Watching them talk like this, Gladio couldnʼt explain why his heart felt so full. 

Before Ignis left, she packed him some sandwiches and thanked him for stopping by. 

He had a funny smile on his face while they navigated the streets of Lestallum with the brown paper bag between his hands. “She packs you sandwiches before you leave?” he asked Gladio. 

“When she has time,” Gladio answered. “Or when she remembers. Or when we actually have bread.” Ignis chuckled and nodded in sympathy. “She said her ex used to do it for her before they broke up and she moved out of Stelʼs place.”

“And youʼre fine with her reliving such sweet memories through you?”

“Hey, you got a sandwich, didnʼt ya?” Gladio gestured to the bag. “The way I see it, thatʼs a win. You lose when you donʼt get a sandwich.”

“How typical,” Ignis sighed, bemused. 

“But you like her, donʼt you?” Gladio crossed his arms, smirking at his lover. “Got a lot of things in common.”

“Yes. Including a certain someone,” Ignis turned his head pointedly at him, “weʼre both quite smitten with.”

Gladio snorted, waving that observation off like a fly. 

“We spoke quite a lot about you while you were asleep,” Ignis shared. “I think she genuinely cares about you. Perhaps more than a friend.”

“Ignis—”

“All Iʼm saying is,” Ignis stopped him with a hand, “I will not be averse to the both of you entering a relationship.”

“Both of us?” Gladio hissed, whirling at him. “What about both of _us_?” A question he explained by taking Ignisʼ arms in his hands. 

When Ignis smiled, though, there was a weight in it that seemed bittersweet. “It does not escape my noticing that the both of you moved out together.”

“Only because itʼs cheaper that way.”

“Is it cheaper to walk home together, then?” Ignis pressed on. “Is that why you would sometimes wait for her to finish work so you could walk home together? She really appreciates that, by the way.”

“Look, fine, I care about her!” Gladio admitted, throwing his hands up. “Okay? I like her, I think sheʼs smart. I think sheʼs capable and I think sheʼs a good person. Thanks to her, I donʼt want for much even without a salary but Ignis,” he took him by his arms again, “none of that changes us. Sheʼs separate from our relationship. _Our. Relationship._ ”

“But letʼs face it, Gladio: you see her more than me. I am not,” Ignis spoke quickly when Gladio was about to interrupt him, “playing the pity card and begging you to choose between us. I am only telling you that…that I think sheʼs a good woman.” He tried to redirect his face to Gladioʼs. “And you shouldnʼt deny yourself her company just because we both love each other.”

Gladio shook his head. “You’re being confusing. I feel like youʼre letting me go but then asking me to stay.”

“Me?” Ignis laughed, smiling as if he was tickled by a joke. “Let you go? I made that mistake once, twice and I think Iʼve learned enough not to make it again.” Putting the paper bag in one hand, he raised the other to Gladioʼs chest, feeling the thick scar under his shirt. “But perhaps it wonʼt hurt to be realistic about us. Ever since we were young, our time has never been completely in our hands. And should it ever come to a point where you have to make a decision,” he reached up to catch Gladioʼs face, “then you at least know mine.”

“As if Iʼm not gonna choose you,” Gladio snarled before he pulled Ignis into his arms and held him selfishly like a child. 

Ignis had no choice but to hug him back, then, even as he laughed again. “I should be so happy, Gladio,” he said softly to his ears. 

“Will you be back soon?” Gladio asked him in the same tone. 

“It depends if I have a lead or not,” Ignis replied. “But I will call you whatever happens.”

“Then stay in my arms for one more minute,” Gladio told him. “Just give us this minute, Ignis.”

Ignis nodded. “I can spare you a minute, Gladio.”

—

Prompto dropped by Lestallum two weeks after the attack on Hammerhead. He only told Gladio and Ignis when he was already in Alpine Stable, reasoning that if heʼd announced his plan the night before, some cruel god might just get in the way of their reunion again. He ended up having to pick up Ignis in the old Coernix Station in Alstor while Gladio raced back home from Cleigne. They promised each other to definitely meet on the exact date of Noctisʼ departure next year.

The year after that, it took them a month to meet for lunch after Gladio and Prompto got held back by a storm in the old Galdin Quay. And then Ignis had to run when his ride for the Disc had arrived. 

In the seventh year of darkness, they finally made true with their promise and managed to spend a whole evening together in Gladioʼs place. Even better, Cindy and Talcott had come all the way from Hammerhead with Prompto, though they missed everyone elseʼs company. 

Prompto had brought a radio heʼd put together with Cindyʼs guidance to play some music during dinner, and then a cookie can full of his new photographs that got them all reminiscing about the brighter days. Later on, Cindy volunteered her and Talcottʼs help when Stel began to clean up after desserts. 

Leaving the three of them—Gladio, Ignis and Prompto—to talk more about the road trip they once had, and the uncertain future they now faced. 

Prompto sighed dramatically, shaking his head in the same way. “Noct sure is taking his time this time, huh? Do any of you still even remember how to drive during the day?”

“Think weʼve already forgotten how to do a lot of things in the sun, Prompto,” Gladio chuckled. He reached for his glass of wine. “But weʼll cross that bridge when we get there. For now, we gotta roll out the red carpet for when His Majesty finally graces us with his presence.”

Prompto snatched up the bottle of wine Gladio had bought for the event. “Iʼll drink to that! Here, let me fill your glass.”

“I wouldnʼt say that out loud around me if I were you, Prompto.”

“Ah, no!” Suddenly guilty, Prompto returned the bottle on the turntable, and snatched back his hands, as if Ignis could see him under his raised brow. “I wasnʼt gonna drink _now_. I mean that in an idiomatic way!”

Gladio was laughing at his little accident. “Ignis may be too blind to take the wheel now but heʼs still got his eye on you!”

“Especially as it will be me behind the man behind the wheel,” Ignis added, pushing back his visors. “Do remember that visibility is poor enough out there without the aid of an inebriant, Prompto. I would hate for Noct to have to bail us out for driving under the influence as his first act as savior.”

“Would definitely pay to see that, though,” Gladio commented before he drank from his glass. 

“Seriously, man, Iʼm not even touching it anymore! Ah!” Prompto got up in an instant, quicker than heʼd ever gotten up for his king. Gladio knew who it was whoʼd come through in an instant. “We good to roll?”

“Yup,” Cindy chirruped, dusting her hands as if sheʼd disappeared to fix a car and not to wash some delicate dishes. “Just got off the phone with Paw paw. The old lady finally came with the part so heʼll fix us right up.”

Prompto waved a fist, bouncing a little on his feet. “Sounds good! Iʼll get the truck ready. Ignis, you coming?”

“Come back for me and the batteries,” Ignis answered. “Gladio and I will bring them out the front. Talcott,” he glanced at the young man coming from the kitchen over his shoulder, “why donʼt you go with them? Weʼll need to stock up on curatives, anyhow.”

“Oh, got it,” Talcott, ever obedient, acknowledged with a nod. 

“Gladio,” Cindy stepped up to him as he rose from his chair, raising her arms, “weʼll be off now. Thanks for the invite.”

“Thanks for cominʼ by,” Gladio returned, hugging her back. “Take care on the road. Send my regards to Cid.”

“Drop by Hammerhead soon, ‘kay?” Cindy stepped back and tossed her head to the kitchen. “We left Stel in there, by the way. Hope thatʼs fine.” 

“Shouldʼve just left the dishes to us,” Gladio chuckled, clapping her lightly on the arm. “‘ppreciate the trouble, though.” 

Prompto hopped over to cross arms with him next before he led the merry party away to the stairwell leading down to the road. 

Leaving Gladio alone with the last guest in the room. “Good plan, boss. You really are the Hand of the King.”

Ignis smiled proudly. “Please, itʼs nothing special. Just a few more minutes alone with the man that I love.”

Gladio returned to his chair next to him, taking his hand to weave their fingers together. 

“This was a good dinner,” Ignis went on. “Almost reminded me of our caravan nights.”

“Except the food ainʼt just instant stuff and reheatables from the mini-mart.” Gladio smiled. “You used to hate those things.”

“Youʼve tasted one, youʼve tasted everything,” Ignis explained his disdain. “And man can only live so long on rice cakes and cold sandwiches.”

“And Noct always overheats the food.”

Ignis grinned. “You remember that?” 

Gladio laughed. “How can I forget? I remember almost feeling proud that the punk could work a microwave until I burnt my tongue on some overcooked slop. Sometimes he got it right but the sacrifice ainʼt worth it, man.”

“And he calls us ungrateful for being unappreciative of his generosity,” Ignis went on after him, smiling happily at the memory. 

Gladio sighed out quietly through his nose, running his thumb over his loverʼs knuckles. “I miss that punk.”

Ignis nodded. “So do I.” He exhaled, shifting a little where he sat. “I miss Noct very much. The years have been quite dull without him, the darkness notwithstanding.” He turned his face a little towards the radio when the quiet symphony it played rose up to a rousing final chorus. 

“Oh yeah.” Gladio remembered it just then. “Better pack that up quick before Prompto misses it.” And he was so proud to have locked in on a station with something he made with his bare hands. Like it was some rite of passage to seek Cidʼs approval for Cindyʼs hand in marriage. As if he was any closer. 

It wasnʼt quite the station they enjoyed, though. Even during better days. “Have you noticed that these old songs from our parentsʼ time seem to be coming back in popularity?” Ignis observed. “Itʼs been an ongoing trend since the nightfall started but they seem more prevalent now.”

“Donʼt know if itʼs the mood or the memories,” Gladio mused, shrugging. “Sleepy musicʼs on point 24/7. So is listening to songs from the good olʼ days.”

“It almost feels like weʼre at another turning point, doesnʼt it?” Ignis went on. “Most of us yearn for the light but there are children now who think it as a strange world. They learn about the sun at school but donʼt see it.”

“Makes you wonder what sorta things theyʼre thinking. What kinda lives theyʼll lead,” Gladio joined him. “Theyʼll be pushing back soon.”

“Such is the way of generations,” Ignis said, with the fading out of the last note. “How ironic, though, that to them, these old songs will come out as new. A leitmotif to their youth.” Speaking of… 

The rising trumpet beats and the melodic chorus of the next piece surprised Gladio when they came through the radio. “Seriously?” he snorted, facing the device where it sat atop some food crates meant for the soup kitchen. “I never thought Iʼd hear this again!”

“You know this song, Gladio?”

“Yeah,” Gladio laughed. “You donʼt?” he asked, turning to Ignis. Ignis shook his head. “My mom used to be so crazy about this movie. It came out when she was still in high school, I think. Even when she was already sick, sheʼd watch it almost every night. I used to hate it ‘cause I was so tired of it.”

“But it sounds like that isnʼt the case anymore.” Ignis grinned. “People really do change, do they not?” Such is the way of generations. 

Before he could change his mind, Gladio stood up all of a sudden and tugged his lover after him by their tangled hands. “Dance with me, Ignis.” The night was long and dangerous and afforded them few opportunities for impulsiveness. Might as well seize it while it was there. 

“ _Dance?_ ” Ignis cracked in laughter, staying in his seat. “Have _you_ ever seen a blind man dance?”

“I might if he gets off his ass.” 

“Unbelievable, Gladio.”

“Come ooon!” Gladio pulled him again. “If weʼre gonna be a buncha oldies, anyway, might as well get a headstart. Start ‘em young like they say.”

“I donʼt think it works that way.”

“Donʼt you wanna dance with me?” Gladio nagged him on. “The man that you love? That you negotiated a few more minutes alone with?”

“Gladio.”

“Look, I dunno how to dance, and neither do you.” Gladio shrugged. “So no oneʼs gonna be laughinʼ here.”

Ignis exhaled through his nose, but didnʼt hide the smile on his face. 

When next Gladio nudged him, he finally came with easily. He led him to an open space between the dining table and the kitchen, kicking away anything that might cause an accident for Ignis. 

Ignis tilted his face up to him while Gladio wore his arms around him. “So how should we do this?”

“Nothing scientific about it,” Gladio said confidently. “You know, itʼs just…” With one of his arms around Ignisʼ waist and one of Ignisʼ hands held against his chest, he started to sway sideways. “Just going with the flow,” he finished. 

“Spoken like a true expert,” Ignis beamed. “I see youʼve danced before.”

Gladio smiled back at him. “Means that Iʼm good, yeah?” Ignisʼ laughter came through in his breath while Gladio chuckled deeply in his chest. 

Ignis laid his cheek on his shoulder, then, a blissful smile settling onto his lips while he slid his other hand up to wrap over Gladioʼs shoulder. “Oh Gladio,” he swooned, as if he was about to fall asleep in happiness. 

Gladio felt like an old couple, all right—but maybe he was just living out a life they may not see for the both of them. While he still could, he thought. The future was bleak, and their time together could be getting shorter by the day. 

Gladio may never see his Ignis grow old. A frightening thought—theyʼd known each other since they were young, he couldnʼt imagine a life where they didnʼt turn gray beside each other. 

“I love you so much, Ignis.” Somehow he managed to keep the shaking in his voice in check when he whispered that. Gladio watched the smile on his loverʼs face widen. 

“I love you, too, Gladio,” he breathed back. “More than I can say with words.” He looked so at peace in his arms. It was more than Gladio could ask for. 

He pressed a kiss on his forehead just as his arm moved up to pull Ignis closer. If he closed his eyes, he thought, he could imagine they were both in his fatherʼs house which he would inherit. Sunlight streaming into the dining area from their garden just beyond it. He wondered what kind of life he and Ignis would lead in a different world, with no war, no visions, no rings, no Crystals. Would they have children? Would they be married? 

In more peaceful times, maybe, he thought. Wherever that Gladio and Ignis were, he hoped they were living happier lives for the sake of those in the dark.

—

Prompto returned just as the DJ came back on. Gladio and Ignis went down to meet him with his precious radio and loaded up some old car batteries which they could fix in Hammerhead and use to generate some much needed power. Stel called down to them, mentioning something about taking some of the leftovers from dinner.

“Ignis,” she called to him, “would you mind being a dear?”

“Stel, Iʼll get it!” Gladio shouted back. “Ignis,” he put a hand on his loverʼs arm, “donʼt need to trouble yourself.”

“Gladio, itʼs fine. Iʼve climbed these steps a fair bit to know what to expect.” Ignis patted him back on his sleeve with a smile. “Donʼt leave Prompto with the batteries, he might break his arm trying to impress Cindy.”

“Ignis, you couldnʼt have just whispered that?!” Prompto snapped from the front. 

Ignis disappeared back up the stairwell. Gladio finished up with the batteries soon enough and left Talcott to take care of moving them around the back while he hurried up his house to assist his blind lover. 

Halfway up the steps, he heard Ignis telling his hostess, “Weʼll be off now, Stel. Thank you for the food and the lovely evening.”

“A, actually—Ignis? Thatʼs…”

From the top of the steps, he saw Ignis stop and turn to the unseen hostess. “Yes, Stel?” He walked back a bit. Gladio couldnʼt stop himself from sneaking up higher so he could see what was going on. 

Stel was wringing her fingers together when Ignis returned to her, a bag of their takeaways in one hand. She was already out of her dress and in her Exineris thermal pants. Ready to go to work if not for this…whatever this urgent thing was. 

They stood near the table, still carrying glasses and bottles from dinner. “I…” she started uneasily, looking uncomfortably at her hands. “Didnʼt want to assume…what kind of relationship you have with Gladio. Um…I know youʼre both the kingʼs men and…I know he has your name in his dog tag as an emergency contact. But then…” She twisted her hands, as if she was pulling her arms downwards for a stretch. “I saw you both…dancing in each otherʼs arms while I was in the kitchen.” Ignis dropped his face. “And…and I think Iʼve seen enough by now to know that youʼre both…” Even then, she trailed off. 

So Ignis nodded and finished the thought for her. “Yes, Stel,” he confessed. “Gladio and I have been in love with each other since we were in high school. I,” he bowed, “do apologize that you must learn of this in such a manner.”

“Oh, n, no need to apologize.” Stel wiped the air frantically with her hands. “Thereʼs nothing wrong about this.”

“All the same, I wish to assure you,” Ignis went on, “that while I cannot promise to forget about Gladio…neither can I be selfish for his affections in good conscience. I have spoken about this to him. He knows my thoughts.”

“Oh…yeah?” Stel laughed nervously, tucking her brown locks behind her ear. “Then…” She threw her hands up and swung them back behind her. “I guess I can say…me, too.” Gladioʼs lips parted open. 

“Pardon?”

“I mean…” Stel ran her hands up her bob hair then cleared her throat. “I know…Gladio and I have been sort of together for some years now, too. And…” She shrugged, laughing sheepishly. “Heʼs a good-looking guy, right? And I get kinda weak in the knees when he gets all protective and concerned about me. So, yeah, Iʼm gonna say I have feelings for him, too. But…” She ventured closer towards Ignis. “Whenever youʼre in the room with him? He just…” She flung her hands up. “Lights up like the Crystal. Itʼs like if heʼs Lestallum, youʼre his meteor shard.”

The smile Ignis wore was bittersweet—both pleased to know of his effect on Gladio and feeling guilty for it. “I hope you will forgive me, Stel. It is simply that we have known each other perhaps for too long.”

“N, no—I mean, yes! Or um…” Stel pressed her hands up her cheeks, looking thoroughly confused. And cute while she was at it, he thought. “Well…what I wanted to say was…now that we know whatʼs going on between us and Gladio? I hope…youʼll still come to visit.” Gladio could hardly believe his own ears. 

“Stel?” Ignis himself was wary. 

Stel tucked her hair behind her ear again. “I know this is weird for me to say as a woman…like I know I should be asking you to leave us alone and not to stay. The girls at the plant are probably gonna laugh at me or bully me if they found out but…” She shrugged. “Let’s be real, the world is dark, life is short and youʼre important to him. He wonʼt be complete without you, especially since youʼve known each other for like, your whole lives. And, especially after we lost His Majesty?” She shook her head. “I canʼt imagine how it would feel if Gladio were to lose another important person in his life. I donʼt want to see that happen either. No one deserves that kind of fate.”

“Hold that thought.” Ignis stepped towards her. “Youʼve mentioned the Crystal and now you speak of the king as His Majesty.”

“Oh I never told you,” Stel realized, fingers on her lips. “Iʼm from the Crown City like yourself, Ignis. I know about your family and House Amicitia. When the empire attacked us, I fled with the group coming here to Lestallum.”

“And your parents? Your family?” The questions came in urgently. 

“Mom was at the Citadel when it happened,” Stel shared. “She was a part of the camera crew to film the signing. I came with Mama…I mean, my biological mother and some of our cousins. But…when the sun disappeared, Mama got weaker from vitamin deficiency.” She shrugged. “She died soon after.”

Ignis sighed, heavy with his heart. When he dipped his head, there was a weight on his shoulders, as well. “Please forgive us, Stel. Youʼve suffered too much on account of us.”

“Who hasnʼt?” Stel laughed a little. “Gladio told me you lost your whole family in Insomnia. And Prompto, too. Gladio also lost his father. And now even the king is gone.”

“The king will be back to set things right,” Ignis assured her. “On that, you can be certain.”

“I know,” Stel said. “Mom was a royalist. After I met Gladio, I became one myself. I used to think they were just celebrities but Gladio made me realize that they were people, too. And he cares about His Majesty a lot.”

Ignis smiled brightly. “He and I grew up with the king. We miss him very much.”

Stel nodded with a smile. “So,” she threw her hands up and let them slap down her sides, “no need to be strangers then, right? Youʼre both teammates, youʼre both friends, you both love each other…” A hand landed on her chest. “I like him, too. And thereʼs a part of me that feels like Iʼm not alone in this. But I donʼt want to be in a competition with you. If you make him happy and heʼs happy with you, then whatʼs wrong with that, right? If you make him wanna dance…then great!” Her shoulders flew. “This world is so sad, I feel like everyoneʼs forgotten how to just…live.”

“Indeed,” Ignis agreed, though he sounded a little distracted. “You…you have a generous heart, Stel.”

Stel giggled, then looked down to her feet, tipping one of them to bounce on the floor. “Well, itʼs not like…you arenʼt helping me, too, yʼknow? Like, how do you keep up with him when heʼs in the mood?” A quiet question that received a burst of laughter from Ignis. Now Gladio really felt like he was eavesdropping. 

Curious as he was, he went down before he heard the rest of the story. “Theyʼre just finishing up,” was all he told the party waiting for him before he turned to face the stairwell, as if to wait for Ignis. But he really was trying to forget the warmth in his cheeks. 

Ignis appeared not long after and handed the bag to Prompto in the driverʼs seat. “Could you give us a moment?” he asked. “Iʼd like a private word with Gladio before we go.”

“Okay, then,” Prompto sang. Not that he minded since Cindy was sitting next to him. 

With his hands free, he took Gladioʼs fingers and led him to the back of the truck. Gladio hadnʼt even yet asked him what it was he wanted to say before Ignis pulled him for a kiss. 

He couldnʼt stop himself from kissing back, from wrapping Ignis in his arms and pushing deeper. They ran out of breath not long after, but this was different. 

Ignis didnʼt chase him back when they parted, and smiled brightly for him when Gladio lingered on his forehead. “You listened, didnʼt you?” he whispered. Nothing could escape those sharp ears of his. 

Gladio nodded. “I left when you two started talking about my sex life, though.”

Ignis laughed. “I couldnʼt stop Stel from talking when I heard you. It felt like she wouldnʼt be able to get her words out in time if Iʼd interrupted her. Iʼm glad I listened.”

“So am I,” Gladio snickered. 

“Donʼt tell Stel you listened. She doesnʼt know.”

Gladio nodded. 

“Give us another kiss for the road.”

Gladio slipped in some tongue while he was at it, and slid his hand down Ignisʼ ass to squeeze it, too. “Something to remember me with.” He grinned. 

Ignis sighed. “Never change, Gladio.”

“Not for you, I wonʼt,” Gladio promised him with a teasing pinch on his side. With an arm around Ignisʼ back, he dusted an invisible speck from the scarred side of his face with his thumb. The lamp post they stood under made shadows of his aspect. 

He remembered suddenly, an entire lifetime ago, a picture of Ignis standing under the shadows of leaves, green eyes looking up to him fully content, a gentle breeze swaying the trees. 

“When daylight comes,” Gladio began in a whisper, “I swear to the gods and all their grandkids Iʼm gonna kiss you under the sun.”

Ignis smiled brightly for that. “I canʼt wait.”

They met for one last kiss before Gladio helped Ignis get on the truck. “Prompto,” he marched up to the driver and clasped his fist in a fierce grip, clapping it and then his shoulder. “Drive safe. Call us when you get there.”

“You take care, too,” Prompto replied before he waved to him. “See ya!”

Gladio raised his own hands. He stepped back as the truck started to roll out of the one-way street, into the road that used to be a part of the main thoroughfare until about a year ago. 

When he couldnʼt hear them anymore, he finally went back up to his house. Stel would want to talk, he thought.

—

In the tenth year of darkness, they missed the date of Noctisʼ disappearance again.

This time, there were just three of them. Ignis and Prompto went out to buy some food for dinner while Gladio took care of the drinks and the curatives Prompto was going to take back with him to Hammerhead. They set the table while Ignis worked the kitchen. 

It was a simple dinner, small enough not to leave any leftovers. With no desserts laid out, Ignis and Prompto settled for coffee while Gladio satisfied himself with his beer. 

“We just need one more person,” Ignis smiled wistfully, “and it would be like before.”

“Ten years later,” Gladio chuckled, “and he still leaves a hole as big as his ego.”

“Ten years,” Prompto mused. “Never thought weʼd actually reach a decade. When the lady who interviewed me for the Crownsguard asked me where I saw myself in ten years, I didnʼt realize I should have said _in the dark._ ”

Gladio laughed suddenly. “Yeah, that would have earned you your uniform, all right.”

“One must never be too honest in such interviews anyhow,” Ignis advised him. 

“Yeah? Guess I got off lucky there.” Prompto scratched his ear. “But man, that was such a long time ago.”

“It has been a very long day,” Ignis quipped. For ten years, the sun never came with tomorrow, after all. 

“I was seriously wet behind the ears,” Prompto went on. “I didnʼt think I could catch up with you guys, at all. You know, all that fighting and camping. Living life on the road.”

“We havenʼt camped together in a spell,” Gladio thought aloud. 

“Or gone on a road trip,” Ignis added. “And yet ten years ago, that was our life.” Ten years ago, the only thing they had to worry about was gasoline and lodging. It used to be so simple back then, even with all the problems they were given. 

“You know what? Fuck it.” Gladio smacked the table with his fingers. “Let’s all go to Hammerhead tomorrow.”

“Seriously?” Prompto spat. 

“A road trip in the dark,” Ignis mused. 

“Yeah! Cʼmon, itʼs been ten years,” Gladio reminded them. “We could do something special for a change. You know, this whole thing kinda started there.”

“Perhaps we might even catch a few old faces in there,” Ignis said. They made a lot of friends back in their journey, after all. 

“A road trip to celebrate a road trip, eh?” Prompto smacked his fist on his palm. “Right, Iʼm in!”

“Iʼm supposed to meet with a hunter looking for a guide to Steyliff tomorrow,” Ignis shared, looking at them both, “but I suppose I can tell her Iʼm needed in Hammerhead.”

“We better go shopping tonight for some more stocks for the trip, then.” Gladio grinned. “Stel wonʼt be home tonight either, sheʼs on round the clock duty today. Prompto, you wanna take her room?”

“Do I got a choice?” Prompto leaned back on his chair with his arms crossed behind his head. “Just keep it down, you two. Iʼll need a lot of sleep for tomorrowʼs drive, you know?”

“Weʼll do our best,” Ignis promised him, though that hand that slithered to Gladioʼs thigh might say otherwise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you're curious about the song they danced to, it's totally vic damone's _[an affair to remember](https://youtu.be/JSVSSixzEws)_. 
> 
> thanks for reading and for the amazing kudos and comments! a word of warning, just in case, but the last two chapters might tug some heartstrings so!


	20. Chapter 20

For the last time, in what could possibly be his whole life, Gladio told himself he had to get some sleep. It would be a long day, or a long night tomorrow, and his king would demand every ounce of his strength he could squeeze out. There was no saying what sort of evils they were going to come face to face with once they stepped through the gates of Insomnia. 

And yet that was exactly what was keeping him up that night. For the first time in ten years, they were finally coming home. After ten years of waiting, his king had finally returned to them. 

Gladio wouldnʼt say he wasnʼt excited, but even that was causing him to worry more than he already was. Was he maybe taking this too lightly? Should he be more serious and anxious about the tomorrow to come? Then again, what good would those thoughts do? 

He got up from his bunk, and sat at the edge of it, legs dangling over at the side. Prompto seemed to be sleeping soundly across him, or maybe that was Noctisʼ snore he was hearing under him. Heʼd never known Ignis to snore no matter how tired they were. 

And he wasnʼt in his bed. 

Heʼd caught him just as the door leading out of the caravan whined open. Gladio waited until the lock had clicked before he climbed down to his boots, moving as quietly as he could. 

He had to stop by Noctisʼ bed on his way out, though. Still couldnʼt believe that the man himself was there, and how heʼd aged inside the crystal. He remembered how the former King Regis looked now when he still had black hair, and his voice had lost that nasal edge for something smoother and deeper. 

Gladio wished he could have seen how it all happened. The same way he saw Noctis grow, break and pick himself up again since he was a kid until they lost him to the Crystal. It wasnʼt fair that the gods kept taking him away when Noctis belonged to them in the first place. _They_ were the ones who suffered him and saw him become the man that he was now, not them! 

He didnʼt care about some bloody sacrifice, he just wanted his Noct. To stay by his side and watch him grow to the last of his breaths. 

Gladio covered a sniffle at the back of his hand and fled before he could disturb his king. 

Outside, hardly the wind stirred Hammerhead. Even with the hunters on night duty, Gladio felt like he was walking on an abandoned world. Though maybe that was only because it already was. 

And the only other person out there besides him was Ignis, who hid at the back of the sealed garage, away from sight. His own fist was pressed up to his nose and his mouth, like a man deep in thought. 

Gladio knew better what the real story was. He came up beside him quietly and carried a hand to his shoulder, gripping him as a way of telling him that he was there. In more ways than one. Ignis nodded and returned the grip to his knuckles. He sniffled, too. 

“Itʼs about to happen, Gladio,” Ignis whispered, voice heavy. “Ten years…and all we get for it is one night.”

Gladio remained silent. His own thoughts went around in the same circles as Ignisʼ did.

—

What comfort could they offer each other except their bodies?

Ignis started when he shoved him to the wall before he caught himself with a hand on his mouth while Gladio shoved down his pants deeper so he could pierce through his entrance with two fingers. Ignis tightened around him while he bit back his scream. 

Softness and readiness was a luxury they were both willing to forego for the sake of their need. Ignis pulled his right glove free with his teeth and spat it out so he could join Gladio in stroking their lengths together, a strange kind of sport where they tried to catch each other and race each other. 

Not ineffective. Gladio breathed heavily near Ignisʼ mouth before he finally seized it and pushed through with his tongue. Ignisʼ hand released their flesh so he could latch on to Gladioʼs nape and his naked back with his other one. 

“Didnʼt think—” Gladio inhaled deeply, hard at breath but relentless with his fingers. He looked obsessively at Ignisʼ blushing lips. “Didnʼt think…didnʼt think the last time Iʼd be fucking you…is at the back of Cidʼs garage.” Somehow, that made him smile and breathe out his amusement. “Hardly romantic.” He swallowed down his spit. “Quite dramatic, though, donʼt you think?”

“And arenʼt you the martyr?” Ignis rasped. “Ready to die in the name of the king?” He bared his teeth suddenly in a surprising ire. “Or perhaps youʼre only looking to escape the burden of surviving tomorrow?”

“Escape?” Gladio hissed, pulling his fingers out and stopping his hand. Ignis glowered at him for that. “Do you hear yourself? My king is there!” He pointed to the caravan. “And I have a duty to follow him to the death! How can I think about the future when I donʼt even know if Iʼll live to see it?!”

“Must you die, Gladio?” Ignis bristled. “Must we _all_ die?”

“We have to be prepared to lay down our lives tomorrow if protecting Noct calls for it!”

“Our liege, our king, our Noct,” Ignisʼ breath shook, tears trailing down his cheeks, “gave us an order: _to live_. To witness his sacrifice and welcome dawnʼs return! What of that part of your duty, Gladio?!”

“Itʼs no duty if it means sending him to his death.” Gladio growled, voice breaking with his own tears. “Iʼm his Shield! My duty is to keep him alive above all! What about that part?!”

“Do you think I donʼt know that?!” Despite the shadows, he could see Ignisʼ resolve was chipping away like old paint. Gladio shook his head and chased his tears with his own lips. “I donʼt want to go through this but I must—” He gasped. “ _We. Must._ It is our duty to our king and our promise to our friend!” It was unfair, that for all of their sacrifices, that was all they were paid back. Duty. Promise. 

He didnʼt want to hear anymore. One more and he might not live to see the dawn. He silenced Ignis quickly with a kiss, leaving him no choice but to obey, and to pull himself closer to Gladio. 

He didnʼt wait much longer to bring his shaft through Ignisʼ opening and force himself through. Ignis caught himself before he cried out and poured everything instead into Gladioʼs shoulder where he bit him. His walls clenched urgently around the searing flesh but he only held on tighter to those inked arms that trapped him, digging his nails in. 

It was quick. Rough. But for that night and for the pain in their hearts, it would do. 

This was one of the last few things the gods would spare them.

—

And then. Dawn did come. As was promised to them.

In the years of darkness, Gladio had often wondered how he would feel once he saw the light breaking through the horizon. Would he cry? Would he fall to his knees and weep? Or would he howl and throw his fist in the air? Even during that night, back over at Hammerhead, he was still thinking about it. 

When daylight came and scattered the miasma from the skies, Gladio forgot all about them. He hadnʼt even recognized his own shadow on the ground until Prompto called their attention and pointed towards daybreak. Ignis, he guided with a hand on his arm. 

“Look!” he cried in the midst of daemons dispersing into black smoke, clearing up against the light. “Dawn!” 

It hurt. For ten years, Gladio had moved around with nothing but artificial light to see by that heʼd forgotten how the sun could burn through oneʼs eyes. He turned away from it and hid under the cover of his hand. 

It was brilliant. Like a new god emerging from cold slumber to strike a covenant with them. 

“We did it!” Prompto laughed, wiping his glove over his damp cheek. “Noct did it!” Noct… 

Noct had done it.

—

Past the doors leading into the skyscraper, everything stood perfectly still. The lobby was just as theyʼd left it before they headed up to the throne room, only with abundant light pouring in from the open doors.

Ignis half-limped between Gladio and Prompto, the smaller man supporting his weight. Gladio himself moved gingerly with a pain on his abdomen though neither of them thought to use a curative to alleviate the pain, for fear of what they might discover. 

“Doorʼs open,” Gladio announced when the lift finally arrived, holding it while Ignis and Prompto shuffled inside. He stepped in last and pressed the button for the throne room. 

“Cʼmon…!” he muttered impatiently, watching their progress through the little screen overhead. 

“Noct…” Prompto began from behind his shoulder. “D…do you think he…?” Gladio didnʼt reply. He didnʼt want to say anything more until he saw the throne room with his very eyes. 

As soon as theyʼd made it to the receiving hall, they all but hurried towards the last door coming between them and their king. Gladio raced them to it, bracing his hands on the ancient wood. 

He turned back to his friends, dread gripping him by the throat. 

Prompto was already crying but between the two of them, he was the fearless one. He was the one who gave him the signal, nodding to show it. “Weʼre right behind ya,” he assured him. 

Gladio sniffled as he nodded. Then with whatever courage he could muster, he finally pushed the doors open, bringing the throne room awash with light into view. And there, at long last, he saw his dream fulfilled: 

Noctis on the throne that was built for his ascension. Through blood and tears, they fought for it. 

Even his. The once-arrogant prince, the once-proud king now sat slumped into his lap. Unmoving like a stringless marionette. 

It was more than what Gladio could take. 

“Here,” he mumbled, taking Ignis when Prompto passed him to him despite the quailing in his chest and the tears that now washed his face. “Go to him—”

“ _Noct!!_ ” Promptoʼs scream filled the empty throne room as he dashed onwards and up the seat of power. “Noct!!” Even the crack in his voice was caught by the echo. 

“Gladio,” Ignis whispered, trembling in Gladioʼs grasp. Or maybe that was just himself Gladio was feeling, since he could no longer beat back his sorrow realized and cried freely while they made their steady way up the steps. “What does he look like?”

Upstairs, Prompto finally pushed him upright. There was a sword through his gut. The late kingʼs sword, his father. He looked tired, as if from a long day on the road. 

“Asleep,” Gladio choked and sniffled, watching Prompto stumble back at the sight of its best friend impaled. “L, like heʼs had a long day…!” He swallowed his spit. Talking was difficult now. Though doing much of anything aside from breaking down and howling on the floor was difficult. 

Ignis nodded. Prompto didnʼt know where to put his hands. Several times, it hovered between him and Noctis until finally he laid a careful one on his shoulder and shook him gently. Noctis didnʼt stir. “W, we,” the racking in his chest colored his breath as he inhaled, “w, we best get him into bed, then…Noct will want to sleep on a soft bed.”

Gladio wiped his eyes with the back of his fist. “Got it…”

Eventually, Prompto gave up and slipped down to his knees. He looked so worn despite the proud uniform he wore, like a lost child looking to an unreachable thing. Later on, he slumped forward and connected his head to Noctisʼ knee. 

He couldnʼt get up in time when Gladio arrived with Ignis, though Ignis pushed his helper back so that, for one last time, he could at least present himself to his king by his own power. Those hands that knew him so well, since he was a child, they laid themselves carefully on Noctisʼ face, combed briefly through his hair. 

Ignis moved as patiently as heʼd always had despite the tears he was shedding. His hands spanned the breadth of his shoulders and trailed down his arms until they found Noctisʼ own and gripped them fiercely. And for that moment, all he did was to grip them hard, and to weep quietly, biting tightly down his lips. 

Gladio had to turn away, pressed his knuckles to his tears. He breathed in deeply, the weight of it pinching his face tightly and painfully. 

“Has anyone seen the ring?” Ignis asked, turning first to Prompto and then to Gladio just as he whipped back. “Can anyone look for it? It isnʼt around his finger…”

Gladio nodded. “Iʼll look for it here. Prompto.”

Prompto nodded, too. “Here, too…!” he managed before his grief silenced him. 

Gladio looked around his feet and the back of the throne, even on top of it. Prompto searched behind Noctisʼ feet but came up with nothing. “Itʼs not here, then,” he concluded. 

“Then he took it with him,” Ignis surmised. He put those hands on Noctisʼ lap and patted him upwards again until he came upon the old kingʼs sword. 

He sounded like he was breaking, a strangled noise trapped at the back of his throat as his shaking hands grasped the blade and the pommel of the sinful weapon. It wasnʼt fair. All their lives, theyʼd put themselves on the line so that no blade could come this close to Noctis…only so his own father, who tasked them the burden himself, could deal the killing blow with his own hands. It was cruel…it was cruel to all of them. 

“H, hey,” Gladio rasped, though he didnʼt step much closer to Ignis who deserved this time alone with the boy heʼd raised since he was a child. “C, careful with that, itʼs still sharp.”

Ignis nodded, turning to the wound. “You’re right,” he stuttered in his breath. “We best get it away from Noct, then.”

“But the blood!” Prompto protested. 

“Weʼll fix his wound ourselves, Prompto,” Ignis told him calmly. “Gladio.” He let go of the sword and stepped back. 

“I got it.” Gladio spoke with a voice buried in his throat. With one hand on Noctisʼ shoulder, he gripped the blade by its handle and pulled it free as carefully as he could. The buried steel glistened brightly with the blood of the king. 

It felt like driving the very same blade through his own heart, and twisting it. It was like looking at his own failure, as a Shield and as a friend. “Noct…!” he snarled, shaking as his head fell heavily with his tears. It was difficult to find the courage to complete his task now. It scared him to look at the fresh wound. 

He had to breathe deeply and growl to bolster himself to finish it. As soon as heʼd released him from the sword, it shattered into crystals, into nothingness. 

Prompto ripped his coat from his shoulders and draped it over Noctisʼ stomach to stymie the blood flow, and save Gladio from his own nightmare. “Think we still got supplies here?” He looked at Ignis. 

“We should look around,” Ignis replied, sniffling. “Iʼm sure weʼll find something. For now, we need to bring him to his room.”

“Iʼll carry him,” Gladio said, putting his arm under Noctisʼ legs and then slipping it behind his shoulders. Prompto took hold of Ignis and guided him to his side. 

With a grunt, he lifted his king to his arms. Noctisʼ head lolled back from the motion until Gladio fixed him so that he could turn his face to his shoulder and chest. He led the way down the throne, struggling with the weight of his king and the pain of betrayal. He sobbed; he shouldnʼt have to do this. He shouldnʼt be the one carrying the body of his king. His king should be the one to bury him for his sacrifice. 

It was the longest trip heʼd ever taken to Noctisʼ room. With daylight streaming in through the windows, he remembered how they used to burn the time with their ego trips, their insults, their challenges. 

Even now, in the silence, he could hear that young voice scowling at him, ringing high with his indignation when Gladio picked at his performance. Or boasting coolly when Gladio congratulated him for his improvement. Laughing when they shared a joke, Noctis slapping his thigh before he smacked his fist with Gladioʼs waiting one. 

The corridor looked so cold and lonely now without his voice. Gladio felt out of place, like he was walking through some nightmare, and his punishment was to carry his kingʼs dead body forever. 

“Weʼre here,” Prompto announced. “Ignis?”

“Iʼll be fine,” Ignis said. 

Prompto went around Gladioʼs bulk so he could push the door open. 

Even in his bedroom, time stood still. The place was still full of Noctisʼ personality though there were empty spaces where it was obvious that something had been taken, and then lost forever in the journey that they undertook. Ten years ago…ten long years ago, they thought Noctis would return here a married man to his childhood love. None of them knew what would happen after the wedding. Gladio simply thought that his duty would now extend to safeguarding Lady Lunafreya, as well. 

Were they so naive and simple, then? Or were times really just so simple back then? Until they rolled out of Insomnia, straight into the path fate had laid in wait for them. 

Some dust floated up the air when Prompto slapped his hands on the clean sheet before he pulled it back so Noctis could lie on the clean mattress. 

“Prompto,” Ignis began as he ambled in, “see if thereʼs any first aid kit under the bed. If my memory serves, I should have left it there the day I bought it.”

“On it.”

“Gladio,” Ignis turned to him, “letʼs get some fresh air in here. Noct will want a change of clothes, as well.” _Will want._ As if Noctis was still alive but how else were they supposed to do this? When the gods showed Ignis his future, they certainly didnʼt leave him a manual on how to deal with it. 

“Yup,” Gladio affirmed his instructions with his own nod. The windows were the first thing he worked on—it was stifling enough in there even without Noctisʼ body. Most of them had already gotten stuck over the years but Gladio had time and an unprecedented amount of patience to work them open. Make the room feel more like a bedroom than a funerary. 

He spent a few more selfish moments catching his breath by the windows. The Crown City smelled cold and clean, quite unlike the city they had escaped a decade ago. When he turned back to the bed, Prompto had already opened Noctisʼ shirt and prepared the gauze to wrap around his wound—clean despite the blood that had crusted around the lip. 

Ignis returned with a basin full of water and two towels. At the very least, Gladio realized, Ignis wouldnʼt be able to see his childhood friend like this. 

“Hey, whereʼd you get that?” Prompto rose from his side of the bed so he could help him with the basin. “Guess thereʼs still running water, huh?”

“Ardyn needed to use the bathroom in those ten years, I guess,” Gladio quipped. 

“A most unpleasant thought,” Ignis huffed. He soaked a towel and handed it across Noctis, just wherever Prompto could reach it. “The bathrooms in the Citadel are all equipped to the seams with necessities, even the most vain princeʼs. It comes to us today in our hour of need.”

Gladio left them to clean up the king between them while he made his way to Noctisʼ walk-in closet. Here, too, nothing was changed. If he stepped out of the room and caught the prince at the foot of his bed, still unpacked from the journey but busy with his phone, he wouldnʼt be surprised. 

He pulled open the drawers, found a few well-loved shirts folded neatly in stacks, before he remembered that they werenʼt quite as presentable as the more formal clothes that were lined up above them. Gladio slid some doors open, palmed through the handsome jackets. 

“Hey Ignis,” he called to him as he leaned out the doorway. “What clothes should I get?”

“He should have some suits on the left wall.”

“But he hates those clothes,” Gladio protested, tossing one of his hands up. “We should put him in something in-between. I found a black sweatshirt here. Itʼs clean enough to look nice.”

“Toss in a blazer and a pair of slacks, yeah?” Prompto suggested, though he waited on Ignis for the final word. 

All this bickering back and forth…if they could just pretend that Noctis was just unconscious and would wake up the next day, complaining of sore muscles, everything would feel normal. 

If only they had the luxury of imagination. When Ignis smiled, it was broken. And wrong. “Noct will always be Noct to us. But to the people…he is king. When they come here,” he turned to his sleeping friend, grasping his hand fondly in his, “they will look for a king. And they must see one.” Ignis was right, of course. 

Gladio nodded. “Could probably find something here that he hates the least.”

“That would be a suitable compromise,” Ignis agreed. 

They wiped him down while he accomplished his mission as carefully as he could. Gladio had a second where he thought he could bring out three suits Ignis could choose from until he remembered, ashamed, that he was blind. And it really was all up to him now. 

He decided upon some pinstripes, a dark charcoal tie and a pair of cufflinks etched with the royal familyʼs emblem to match them with. He threw out the dirty water in the basin and refilled it so Ignis could finish his work while Prompto covered his wound. 

Then they dressed him up, all three of them moving in focused silence, barely exchanging a word to ask for this piece or that arm, for someone to carry him while they slipped on his jacket, his trousers. His shoes, Prompto took care of. 

“Everything still fits,” Ignis observed, doing the last button on the blazer before he took Noctisʼ hands and laid them on his belly. Even when dead, he wasnʼt cursed with rigor mortis. 

And now he looked like he really was just sleeping. Like the dead. 

“Short people will always be short,” Gladio sniffled, thumbing at his nose. 

“Donʼt let the king hear that,” Ignis laughed…but he wouldnʼt. The king would never hear them, anymore. He would never wake up, no matter how closely they put the alarm in his ear or how much they threaten him with beans or how hard they pull his legs as they dragged him out of the tent. He would never hear whatever they say behind his back. 

They missed it—that offended _hey_ or that hiss as he told them to shut it. 

They missed his voice. They missed him… 

Prompto started to sob, putting his hand to his eyes while his shoulders shook. Ignis laid down his head to Noctisʼ sleeve and squeezed it. 

Gladio brought his lips to the top of his kingʼs head…his former charge, his student…then ran his fingers along those layered locks which he used to muss up, much to Noctisʼ exasperation. “You did good,” he said, tears in his voice. “You bested them all. Youʼve come a long way and Iʼm so proud of you…!”

“Noct…” Prompto gasped deeply, tearing his hand from his face so he could look at his best friendʼs. “Thank you. Really…for all those times that you stood by me…that you never left us…thank you.” He sniffled, wiping his face. “Iʼm really grateful…!”

“Sleep well, Noct,” Ignis told him, taking his hand. “Sleep well, for once and for all. Weʼll take it from here.”

—

They wept over their king, ruining their hard work. Prompto threw himself over Noctisʼ body while Ignis pressed a kiss to his hand. Even Gladio couldnʼt catch himself from embracing his friendʼs head.

He didnʼt know how long they cried. Gladio left when Ignis complained that he had a headache and helped him to his uncleʼs apartment. For himself, he found his way to his fatherʼs old room, the one provided for him whenever he couldnʼt make it home for the night. 

He could barely recognize it, despite having been there a few times himself. But the life that still existed in it felt strange for a son whoʼd come to terms with his fatherʼs death. There was still an empty hanger on the bed which must have carried his council robes once. The pictures on his writing table were still clear despite the years that went by. And how young he and his sister looked in them—completely unaware of what laid in wait for them. 

It occurred to Gladio that he ought to look for his fatherʼs corpse. Give it a proper burial now that he was here to do it. But it had been ten years since he was killed. And they hadnʼt found any bodies along the Citadel aside from the kingʼs. 

He would think about it, he thought, as he dropped himself onto his fatherʼs bed and faded into a deep slumber. He would take care of Noctis first…and then he would attend to his own personal matters.

—

When he woke up, night time had fallen again. But the world remained still, and it was too bright out despite the missing daylight.

Looking out the window, he found the moon resting atop clear skies. Heʼd completely forgotten about that part of the night. 

Gladio slipped out his phone and checked for messages. There were a lot of them, filling up his inbox and his voicemail but he only tapped one of them to listen to. 

“ _Gladio, I hope youʼve rested well by the time you hear this,_ ” Ignis said. “ _I sent word out to our friends in Lestallum that we are home. And that they can come home, too. Talcott and Cindy will personally bring Cid down here. I told Iris about you, as well, but left her questions for you to answer._ ” He paused… “ _Iʼve…also put out a call for mason workers…seamsters._ ” He sniffled. “ _Weʼll need to prepare for Noctʼs funeral…_ ”

The message ended suddenly. 

Gladio got up and carried himself out of his fatherʼs room. His stomach complained of emptiness but he wasnʼt sure he could put anything down at this point. He wandered back to Noctisʼ bedroom—a repetition of what heʼd done in the past, when they were in Altissia. 

He stopped when he saw a man on his knees in the middle of the corridor, sobbing and gasping as he pressed what looked like a dusty suit to his chest. As though it was the body that once wore it. 

“Noct…” It was Ignis, hugging the raiment Noctis was wearing in his death. “ _Noct…!_ ” he wept, curling forward. Several years ago, heʼd seen this man in the same state. It was in Altissia, and he was weeping for the future that was yet to come. Back then, he raced to comfort him, unaware of the nightmare he was presented. 

Today…today, Gladio turned to a different direction. He couldnʼt find a place for himself besides the grieving Hand of the King, and he wanted one on his own as the Shield of the King. 

Like the empty space beside the throne, where he was supposed to stand as the sworn protector of the crown. 

Gladio made his heavy way up there until he could find his place at the left side of the seat, where he saw the bloodstain and the puncture on the cushion by the silverlight of the moon. There he sat, groaning as he hit the cold floor, and rested his head on the arm of the throne. All the way up here, everything below him looked so small… 

How would Noctis have felt about it, he wondered. Would he want to move the seat closer? Would he prefer to just conduct his business elsewhere? Or would he leave everything as it is as an ode to all the kings who sat the throne before him? 

“You’re no fair, Noct,” he mumbled to the emptiness, hitting his head on the armrest. “We were supposed to do this together. You, my king, me, your Shield.” He smirked lifelessly. “But you had to go and play the hero, didnʼt ya? Takinʼ all the credit with you.” He huffed. “You punk. Now who the hell am I supposed to protect—” He shut his eyes before the tears started again. He gasped tightly, hand alighting on his forehead. “You really couldʼve thought about us in those ten years you disappeared…!”

Heʼd almost missed his visitor when he stepped through the open door and beckoned across the empty space for him. “Gladio?” And because he was blind, Gladio thought he could escape for a couple more minutes if he didnʼt say anything, though it was difficult to do with a broken heart. 

But Ignis waited, as if he knew he was there. 

When he started to turn back, Gladio cleared his throat and answered, “Yeah! ‘m here.” Driven by guilt. The space between them would carry that for him. 

Ignis started to make his way to the throne, then. Gladio kept a close eye on him high up where he sat. 

“Stairs,” he announced when Ignis was about five steps away from the first. Ignis paused briefly, then proceeded with caution. 

Eventually, he found his way back to the throne, though like Gladio, he preferred to sit on the floor beside him. Neither of them would dare still to lay claim on that meaningless chair. 

“So what happens now?” Gladio asked, staring emptily back into the moonlit room. 

“We must prepare for the funeral,” Ignis reminded him, nudging back his visors. “I find it difficult to imagine that it will be a big one, though. Perhaps the bridge leading up to the Citadel will suffice as a location.”

“Do we even know what weʼre doing?” Gladio laughed bitterly. “After the ceremony, where are we going to bury him? Whereʼs his royal arm? All the weapons he ever had went with him to the other realm.”

“I was thinking perhaps we could make do with an important weapon from his ancestors for now,” Ignis shared, running his glove under his visor. “The world is in shambles…surely it should be understandable that preparations will be lacking for the king.”

“A borrowed sword?” Gladio laughed louder, his echoes mocking him. “For the Chosen King, thatʼs…” He dropped his head to his hands. “Gods, he deserves more than this!”

“I, too, wish we could give him everything he deserves,” Ignis echoed. “As we had in life, so we must in death.” He shook his head. “But it would be cruel to leave him unburied and unrested for so long while we are still grasping at straws. And as we are the only family Noct has left…it would be an injustice if someone else buried him for us. Noct never liked such cold ceremonies, anyhow.”

“I understand.” Gladio nodded, sniffling. “Anyway…the gods took him away from us alive…I think I might just go mad if someone took him from us even in death.”

“Exactly,” Ignis agreed, smiling amidst his tears. 

“You know, I never thought this would happen,” Gladio began apropos of nothing. “I trained,” he swept his hand sideways, “all my life to protect him. To make sure he stays alive and I trained him to fight and survive, too. How…” He frowned bitterly, looking elsewhere as he flung his hand helplessly. “How do they expect a Shield to bury his king?” he choked, voice tight with pain, fist on his chest. “Am…am I still even a Shield? Whatʼs a Shield without a king to protect?”

“I have,” Ignis cleared his throat, “been thinking…about those questions.” He pressed his fist to his nose. “That is…when Iʼm not asleep or crying myself to sleep. All our lives, Gladio,” he faced him, “we have dedicated it to one man, with full confidence that we will do nothing else until our last breaths.” 

“You more than me.”

“There is no sense in weighing sacrifices, Gladio,” Ignis laughed weakly. “You and I…we both lost our reason for living.”

Gladio looked down to his fists gripping each other, trembling to the bone. 

“But…for myself, at least,” Ignis breathed deeply to steel his emotions, “I will…take comfort in our promise to Noct. To witness the future that he laid his life down for, for us.” He slipped off his visors to make room for his hand to cover his blind eyes. “I will…I will take that as my last duty to the king as his Hand…!” If he had any more words, the rest of it became nothing but the sound of his sobs. 

Gladio choked up in his own breath when he brought himself closer to Ignis and pulled him to his arms. “Sounds like a plan,” he croaked to his ear, just to try and comfort his lover. 

“I met,” Ignis gasped, “one of my best friends in the name of duty. So I will honor him in the same way. Perhaps…” He swallowed his tears, tightening his own arms around Gladioʼs shoulders. “Perhaps there is something in this future…this second life we are forced to live that you can take for your purpose.”

What was a future without a king, though? Did the future even still need a Shield? There were people he wanted to see tomorrow, to laugh and to cry with. Family, friends…new and old… 

But no king. No one to stake his life for. 

“Stay with me,” Gladio mumbled, closing his eyes to the heat of Ignisʼ embrace. “Until and after I find that purpose…just stay with me.”

Ignis nodded. “Always,” he promised.


	21. Chapter 21

The bright sun overhead burned mercilessly over at the drylands of Leide, and the clear blue skies lent them no cover or help. 

Neither did all the cars and trucks passing their way, no matter how wildly or loudly he waved. 

It was hopeless, then. Gladio whistled. “No good. Nothing else to do but to push, then. Hey, get up.” He clapped the younger man on his shoulder on his way to the boot of the car. 

Which only did nothing but to irritate him as he boosted himself back up his feet, taking his place by the left side window. “Thought the car was supposed to be moving us…”

“Knock it off and get ready,” Gladio snapped at him as he braced his weight against the back. “Right, on my count. Three…two…!”

Somehow, between the two of them and the sheer power of having nothing else to do, they managed to get the dead car moving. As soon as the tires got rolling, it was a bit easier. 

But only for a bit. “You gotta be kidding me,” his companion groaned. 

“You can say that again, Highness,” Gladio grunted back. 

Elsewhere, the road seemed endless and the summer skies as boundless as they were bright. Perhaps if theyʼd been cruising along under it, he might show a bit more appreciation to the beauty of the world beyond the Crown City. But at this point, and at this heat, it was nothing but a damn punishment. 

“Gladio,” Noctis called him. “Do me a favor.” Though he sounded more like a dehydrated frog than anything. 

“What?”

“Push this thing by yourself.”

“You serious?!” How typical of the prince. “Hey, you even still pushing?”

“I am,” Noctis assured him as unhappily as he could. 

Before they knew it, Hammerhead came into view and they managed to roll in the Regalia without incident. Gladio heaved out a huge breath of relief as he pulled up his shirt and used it to wipe the sweat off his face. 

“Iʼd say we managed just fine there, didnʼt we?” Noctis came at him with a high hand. 

“You said it,” Gladio laughed, catching his grip in a handshake. “You know, youʼre not so bad if you put your mind to it.”

Noctis shrugged. “Or maybe Iʼm not so bad at all.” Damn arrogant punk. 

Gladio clicked his tongue and warned the prince with his finger. “Iʼm watching you, Noct.”

Noctis smirked at him. “Bet you are.” He nodded back out of town. “Hey, come on over here for a second. Got something I wanna show you.”

They marched back out of Hammerhead. Somehow, along the way, they started talking about sword techniques until Noctis brought out his personal blade, in all its modified state, and stabbed the air in front of him as a demonstration. 

“My problem with you doinʼ that is that you keep hitting this part of your arm.” Gladio patted the inside of his right elbow. “You wanna leave a space between your left hand and this part here. Or just pull your fist closer to your shoulder.”

“You said it was supposed to be a guide,” Noctis protested. 

“Even bike racers get rid of their training wheels when they join a competition,” Gladio reminded him. “Keep an eye on your sword hand.” He pointed to his right hand waving the sword into non-existence. “Remember, the difference between a mortal blow,” he put his hand on his left chest, “and a killing blow,” he moved his hand to his heart, “is literally just a few inches.”

Noctis scratched the back of his head. “Yup, got it.” Up ahead, at the end of the road, was a haven atop what looked like a cliff. “Hey, here we are. Take a look at this.” He hurried forward. 

Gladio followed the young king closely until they reached the lip of the camp and sat down at the edge. Down below, the entirety of Lucis was spread out in all its natural wonder, the sound of the sea at the back of their ears. 

“Itʼs huge,” Noctis swooned. 

“Right?” Gladio laughed. “Canʼt believe we drove around all those places.”

“Yeah,” his king agreed. “That was fun.”

“Says the royalty who spent half the journey asleep at the back of the car.”

“Hey—” Noctis clicked his tongue. Even now that he was ten years older, dressed in his kingly clothes, Gladio could still keep track of that sneer on his face whenever he attacked his excellence. “Look, it wasnʼt like Ignis was going to let me drive the whole way.”

“He could if youʼd asked,” Gladio chuckled, nudging him with an arm. “Heʼll have to obey a royal decree.”

“Yeah, but I hate backseat drivers.” 

Gladio burst out laughing. 

Noctis smiled at him. “Gladio,” he called him. “I know that among the four of us…you and I were the ones who really clashed a lot of times…” He gestured to his kingdom. “But I couldnʼt have done it all without you. Even when sometimes, I really think I hate you,” he clapped him on the back, “you never gave up on me. So…I just want to thank you. For everything you did for me. And for everything you put up with for me.”

Gladio snorted. “I wouldʼve done it all over again just for you, Noct.” He grasped him back on his shoulder to give it a little shake. “Youʼre my king. And Iʼm your Shield.”

“Is that all I am to you?”

Gladio grinned slowly, just as a smirk started to grow on Noctisʼ lips. “Yeah? You gotta be something else to me? Majesty?”

“You’re the worst,” Noctis snapped, shoving Gladio by his arm. Gladio was laughing, though. “I ought to shove you off this cliff for that.”

“Ha, I wanna see you try.”

“Some Shield you are, speaking to your king like that.”

“Well, maybe Iʼm not just the Kingʼs Shield,” Gladio quipped. 

Though it only made Noctis smile and nod. “You arenʼt,” he promised him. 

He looked out to the rest of Lucis again and sighed. “Iʼm gonna miss this place. Those few months we were out on the road isnʼt nearly enough time to travel around the world, but you guys…you, Prompto and Ignis…” 

When Noctis turned to face Gladio, his eyes were glistening. “You really made it seem like forever. And I—” His voice tightened. He paused to sort himself out, pressing a fist on his lips. “I canʼt thank you enough for the life you allowed me to live.”

“H, hey,” Gladio straightened up suddenly when Noctis picked himself up. “Y, youʼre not saying goodbye again, are you?!”

But he was. “I just wanted to stop by and talk to you for one last time before I go,” Noctis told him, smiling amidst his tears. He was going away again. “Take care of everyone while Iʼm away, okay?”

“No,” Gladio shook his head, reaching for his king, “no, no, no, you canʼt leave us again.”

“Ignis, Prompto.” Noctis sniffled. “Iris, Talcott, Cindy, Cid…all of our friends and family.”

“Noct, come _on_ , you canʼt keep doing this!”

“This world,” but he was still doing it, “this future…Iʼll leave this in your hands, Gladio.” And that was it. That was all he could spare Gladio. 

“Wait.” Gladio got up to his feet. “Noct, wait!” Noctis was climbing up the stairwell to the Citadel again. 

He had to stop him. “I said _wait!_ ”

He managed to grab Noctisʼ hand, the one that was supposed to carry the ring, just as he landed on his knees in his haste. 

“Gladio!” Noctis dipped forward in alarm, catching Gladio by the elbow. 

“Werenʼt you listening?!” Gladio tried to snarl at him but the desperation of having to lose him again was making it harder for him to stoke his anger. “Iʼm your Shield! I told you not to go ahead of me but youʼre doing it again!”

Though they had little effect on the king now, at this point of his ascension. Noctis only sighed at his Shield and uttered his name. 

“I canʼt protect you if I canʼt see you.” Gladioʼs breath shook when he inhaled. “You canʼt go where I canʼt follow. Please…!” At any other time, he would never have shown his tears to Noctis but Gladio didnʼt much care to hide them now. “Noct, you gotta stay. We need our king!” 

For whatever it was worth, that at least made him smile a bit. “Gladio…you told me before that there comes a time when we have to let go of our training wheels.” He looked down to their woven hands, patting his Shieldʼs knuckles, “And…thatʼs us now. I know youʼll be fine without a king to nag you. And Iʼll be fine on my own, too. A certain Shield made sure of that.” Which wasnʼt the point. 

But his mind was coming up blank with any other lies he could tell his king, just to try and get him to stay. It was never in his character to go against his own word and Noctis knew that. Now here he was, standing proudly on his own two feet after all those years Gladio carried him…how could he insist that this wasnʼt what he wanted for the both of them? 

All he could do then was to drop his hands and his head with a heavy sigh, sagging down to his haunches. Defeated. A part of him suddenly wished he hadnʼt been too hard on Noctis during training. Now here he was, reaping what he sowed. 

“Gladio,” Noctis went on. “If you hadnʼt taught me to be strong on my own, I…” He shook his head. “I donʼt think Iʼd have been strong enough to fulfill my calling. When I entered into my Reflection…I thought about you guys a lot. I thought that if I had to give up my own life to save you all,” he shrugged, “then it was worth it. Then I also thought…”

Gladio raised his face to his king. 

Noctis grinned. “This ought to shut Gladio up.”

Gladio snorted and hung his head back while Noctis snickered. “You look like a king now but youʼre still a piece of shit.”

“Donʼt forget me the way I am, Gladio.”

“Think I could?” Gladio sniffled, staring at him in a mixture of confusion and disbelief. He wiped his cheeks on his gloves and got up to his feet, so he could face his king. 

“I,” he began, tossing his hands up. “Donʼt even know what Iʼm gonna do without you. My whole life as your Shield…”

“Think youʼll manage just fine.” Noctis grasped him on his shoulder. “Youʼve always been good at survival.”

“Well, I wasnʼt thinking about just falling over and dying, by the way.” Gladio sniffed back his tears again, looking away for a brief second just to collect himself. Noctis sighed dramatically. “You know, I never got to thank you, by the way,” he faced him again, “for the honor of being your Shield.”

Noctis smiled cheerfully by the corner of his lips. 

“All those years I was in your service,” Gladio paused to catch his emotions, “they were the best years of my life so far.”

“They were some of the best parts of mine, too,” Noctis shared to him. “ _Some._ ”

Gladio clicked his tongue in frustration. “You’re never gonna stop, are ya?” But this was just the way he liked him—stubborn, proud, and everything else in-between. 

He wouldnʼt stop himself from raising his arms over his laughing king and pulling him to an embrace. Gladio beat him fondly on his back and gripped him firmly on his shoulder as tightly as he dared. The last chance he could ever have to do it. 

“Take care of yourself out there,” Gladio said to him. “Iʼm really gonna miss you.”

Noctis nodded. “Iʼll miss you a lot, too, Gladio.”

They clapped each other for one last time until they finally let go. Noctis waved goodbye to Gladio before he ascended the stairwell again. 

“Watch out where you swing that thing, okay?” Gladio called to him for one last time. 

“Got it,” Noctis assured him with a thumb up. “And _you_ look after everyone.” He waved to him again. “See ya!”

Gladio nodded, and raised his own hand. “See ya…and thanks for everything. Noct.”

—

When Gladio woke up, he was back in his fatherʼs room.

Though for a second there, he barely recognized it until he heard the quiet sobbing at his side. When he turned, he found that Ignis was up, one arm wrapped around his belly, the other fist tucked under his chin. Still naked from last nightʼs lovemaking. 

He looked back to Gladio when he put a hand on his shoulder. As if heʼd said anything, Ignis started with a nod before he revealed, “I saw him.” Heʼd dreamt about him, too. 

Gladio shifted closer and pulled him to his chest. Ignis laid his head on the crook of his neck. 

For some time that morning, that was all they did.

—

The day of the wake.

By then, everyone who was anyone to Noctis had finally arrived at Insomnia and viewed the body. Little by little, with the help of generous hearts and pockets and able workers, they managed to put together something respectable for the Last King of Lucis. He was provided a coffin of the most expensive wood available, and a tomb built according to the likeness of the previous royal tombs theyʼd visited. 

Iris Amicitia took it as her final send-off to her childhood friend when she volunteered to stitch up a new raiment for the late king, and a new uniform for his personal Glaives, as well. 

Gladio couldnʼt understand how she could put on a brave face while she tugged at his coat and his collar when he had already pulled an eighth sheet of tissue from Talcott. “Quit wiping your snot on your glove, Gladdy. Youʼre gonna ruin the fabric!” 

“How come youʼre not crying?” Gladio moaned between his sniffles. He tossed his wasted tissue into the plastic Talcott carried and pulled himself a ninth one. “You, too,” he accused the young man in his black formal wear, keeping a stiff lip. Heʼd come with Iris to help the friends with their new suits. “I thought you were his biggest fan?”

Talcott nodded. But that was all he did. 

“I taught Talcott a trick on how to stop crying,” Iris explained for him. She reached up to try and tuck that stubborn lock of hair hanging over his brows into his ear. “Weʼre saving our tears for later.”

“Thereʼs such a trick?” Gladio blew his nose on the tissue. “How come you didnʼt tell me that?” He wiped his nose clean with the tenth tissue and disposed of them both in the plastic. Someone was coming into the conference room. 

“Iris? Are you here?” It was Ignis. 

And for the first time since his blindness, he looked completely incapable of looking after himself. “My apologies,” he said as he stepped through the door. “I, I seem to have missed a few buttons.” From where Gladio stood, he could see that heʼd missed at least two. His coat was completely skewed from the third button down. 

“Iʼll take care of that, Iggy! Gladdyʼs done, anyway.” Iris dusted her hands as she jogged towards the blind man, the balloon skirt of her black dress swaying with her movements. Gladio and Talcott followed after their seamstress. 

“Ah, I see where youʼve missed out.” Iris started to undo the worst buttons. “Just stand still, Iʼll do this.”

“Thank you, Iris.” Ignis spoke softly. “I just…” Gladio pulled another sheet of tissue and put it in his hand. Ignis only crumpled it, though. “I had a thought…that we were supposed to be having this moment in a wedding. If Noct and Lady Lunafreyaʼs nuptial had pushed through…”

“You really had to think about that now?” Gladio hissed, because now, his heart was twisting itself and it made him feel sick in the guts. “Cʼmere.”

Ignisʼ coat was only half-done when Gladio pulled him in his arms so they could cry together. Over his shoulder, someone else had choked. 

“Hey, guys!” Prompto danced through the door, then, himself looking sharp in his coat. “The choirʼs ready…” He trailed off when he caught Gladio watching him with tears in his eyes and Ignis in his arms, stifling himself with a hand on his mouth. “Hey…seriously?” Prompto winced and nearly ruined his hairstyle as he waltzed backwards. “I told you both to stop crying ‘cause if you do, I…” He would start crying, too. 

Gladio only reached for him and waved him closer. 

Prompto rubbed his eyes on the sleeve of his coat when he dragged himself to his two best friends, pulling himself into their hug. The last time they did this, they were still complete, though the world was still unwell. 

Now, they stood under the light streaming down the window, seeking comfort in each otherʼs loss.

—

In the end, they decided to bury him in the square under the bridge leading into the Citadel. It was, so to say, the safest place they could put him in. They thought about putting him in the Crystal Chamber but the last attack on Insomnia had discouraged them from pursuing that thought. The throne room would have been nice if it wasnʼt in need of repairs and Noctis didnʼt hate it as a child, which sort of went the same way with the Hall of History.

But the square would put him underground, immovable. He would be home but he wouldnʼt be somewhere he didnʼt like. And those who wanted to pay him their respects could easily do so. 

Over at the bridge, everyone was waiting, the choir to one side and the guests occupying the other. Gladio followed behind Prompto on the way to the casket, sealed under a clear glass that the grieving Lucians may see the face of their savior—and in a way, so Noctis could see the light that he had died for himself. In his new suit, and with a historical sword between his hands, he looked every bit like the hero that anyone could imagine. 

Gladio took his place by Noctisʼ feet while Ignis and Prompto each took one side of his head and shoulders, both of them pushing the wooden lid shut. “One last rodeo for Noct. We all ready?” Prompto turned from Gladio to Ignis. “Ah, just one thing. Ignis, do you mind switching places with me?”

“Hm?” Ignis looked up to him. “I donʼt mind but what for?” Gladio understood immediately what it was. 

He laughed suddenly, the first time in what felt like a century. “The Regalia, right?” If he stood at the back, and Prompto took the right, facing Ignis to the left, the same place of the driverʼs seat… 

Prompto clicked his tongue and shot him a finger gun. “Bingo! But yeah, donʼt you think itʼll be kinda meaningful? Since thereʼs three of us sort of pushing Noct.”

“I see.” Ignis sounded unimpressed. “So for ten years since we left, youʼve been wanting to switch places with me.”

“Ah! No, Ignis, that wasnʼt what I meant…”

“Ignis,” Gladio sighed, nodding to Prompto. “Just give the kid what he wants.”

“Gladio, havenʼt I proven myself enough these past ten years?”

“Indeed, Prompto has done some growing up in the past decade.” Ignis smiled as he walked over to his side of the coffin. He gestured to the one heʼd just evacuated. “But you may take my spot.”

“Why donʼt I know if I should be thanking you or be insulted by you?”

“ _Prompto,_ ” Gladio snapped. 

“All right, all right, I got it!” Prompto hurried over to the right side of the coffin, then. “Okay, okay, Iʼm here. Ignis.” Theyʼd talked about how they were going to do this, of course. 

“Very well.” Ignis took that as his cue. “On my count: three. Two.”

At _one_ , they lifted the casket between them, Ignis and Prompto taking a handle at each of their sides, Gladio taking care of both grips at the back. No one else would help them bear the casket. 

It was a burden and an honor they wanted reserved for the three of them. Their final duty to their beloved king and friend. 

With the first step they took, the choir began with their first note. That was, perhaps, the grandest part of the ceremony that they could manage. Something theyʼd been prepared to do without if they hadnʼt agreed among themselves that a prayer to the gods for the soul of the Chosen King would not be unwanted among the mourners. 

It was…quite out of place. To hear a song, a drone even, for the repose of the dead and know that it was being dedicated to Noctis, their king, and their best friend. Who theyʼd known all their lives. And just when they thought theyʼd already cried all that they could… 

Prompto would start to dip his head again, the square of his shoulders breaking as he sniffled. Perhaps heʼd been desperate to cry since the ceremony started, Gladio thought, but typical Prompto, he hid it all under his humor and energy. And now that he couldnʼt use either until they buried the king… 

_In the ten years you were gone, I never saw that guy cry,_ Gladio said to Noctis in his head, looking down to his coffin. _I guess…youʼre really leaving us now, Noct._

They stopped just before they descended the stairwell, by now a train of mourners following them behind Gladio. The prayers floated onto them at the back of the line. 

All eyes were turned to Ignis while he negotiated the first step with one foot. “Ignis,” Prompto reached out to him, “just tell us when youʼre ready, ‘kay? Weʼll wait for you.” Gladio wondered what the people must be thinking, to see this blind man forcing himself through this last service to his king. Did they admire him? Pity him? Question his judgment? 

_As if youʼd let anyone else carry you to rest. Right, Noct?_ Gladio said to him in his head. 

After a few seconds, Ignis finally gave them a nod. The procession started again, more slowly this time as they curved around the stairwell, leading down to the cooler shadows under the wide bridge. A patch of the earth in the middle had already been cut open and emptied out where Noctisʼ coffin would be lowered. 

“Just realized weʼre burying him somewhere the rain canʼt reach,” Gladio chuckled, following Ignis and Prompto to the mechanism that would sink the body into the grave. 

Ignis looked up to the bridge overhead. “Yes,” he rejoined. “Noct will like that.” Will like. 

“Yeah, heʼs never been one for bad weather,” Prompto echoed with a sniffle. “Well, at least he wonʼt complain!” Gladio wondered if there would ever come a time when they would learn to stop referring to him in the present and future tenses. If they didnʼt, he didnʼt mind. Noctis would always be alive to them, anyhow, whether or not the light stayed for good. 

He didnʼt realize how tightly heʼd been gripping the handle until they finally placed the coffin onto the machine. Gladio flexed his fingers and stepped around to open the casket again. 

This would be the last time those closest to the king could say their final goodbyes. Iris and Talcott led the group, those stoic faces they once wore now washed clean by their own tears. Iris took a moment to steady herself after she broke down at the side of the casket and had to take Talcottʼs hand just to return to her place by the mourning crowd. Cor followed after her, then Cindy and Cid…though he could no longer get up to see Noctisʼ face, too weak to leave his wheelchair as he was. Instead, his granddaughter pushed him until he could touch the side of the casket with his worn hands. 

Gladio realized then that heʼd outlived two generations of the Caelums just like that. If it were him in the wheelchair, he thought, he wouldnʼt have the heart to look at the body himself. 

“Weʼd better keep a close eye on Cid,” Gladio muttered to Ignis as soon as he could between his tears. 

Ignis nodded, dry-eyed. “If we can convince him to move back here, that is. Though with the daemons gone, Hammerhead would surely be much closer now.” And anyway, Prompto would definitely want a reason to keep visiting the place and its charming proprietress. 

Even now, while Cindy stood in tears behind her grandfather, Prompto approached them and bowed respectfully towards Cid. Though what Gladio didnʼt expect was that it wasnʼt to escort them back to the side. 

But for the bundle strapped to the back of Cidʼs wheelchair, wrapped in a silk cloth. Gladio hadnʼt noticed it before when the old man had arrived at the ceremony earlier. 

Now that he did, though, his heart jumped up to his collar, and he might have pulled suddenly at Ignisʼ elbow, startling the man. When he asked him what was wrong, he couldnʼt answer. He had to wait until he saw what was under the fabric, to see if he was right. 

Prompto bowed again to Cid, that special bundle in his arms. He went back to his friends who waited for him to unwrap the mystery present. 

“It just appeared in the room,” he explained when he finally revealed the unmistakable handle of the Engine Blade, now wrought in gold and red. “When I woke up, Noctʼs closet was open and it was just there, like itʼs been waiting all this time.

“I thought that since Cid modded this,” Prompto went on while Gladio carried Ignisʼ hand to the sword so he could trace the intricate crossguard with his fingers, “he might get a kick out of seeing it again before we buried it with Noct. Thatʼs why I left it with him first before I showed it to you guys.”

“Huh, so thatʼs what itʼs all about,” Gladio mused, running his own hand over the design on the bladeʼs face. “For a minute there, I thought you were gonna ask for Cindyʼs hand.”

“Hey Gladio, not here!” Prompto hissed in alarm. “Why do you always have the worst timing?!”

“Indeed, we can talk about that for another time,” Ignis agreed with Prompto before they derailed themselves from the task at hand. “Gladio, the casket.”

“Sure thing.” Gladio spoke out obediently. He marched up to the king, then, so he could pull up his glass lid and take the unknown sword they gave him between his hands. Another surprise smile appeared on his face when he stepped aside to let Ignis and Prompto lay his own sword under his grip. “There, happy? Couldʼve just left your blade with us if you didnʼt want some random one in the first place.”

“Ignis said it was historically valuable,” Prompto jumped in. 

“Yes.” Ignis nodded, putting his hand for one last time over Noctisʼ face. “Do blame me, thatʼs just fine, Prompto.” The decision of which sword to give him was something they made between the three of them, of course, but it was obvious that the best choice was not even remotely a good one for their best friend. So Noctis came to their rescue. For one last time. 

Ignis started to cry as he mapped out his childhood friend in his hands, the final chance he would ever get to do it, while Gladio stood behind him, clapping his king fondly on the shoulder and giving it a firm squeeze. Prompto ran his sleeve over his eyes before he tucked in two photos in Noctisʼ jacket: an old one of the four of them with the scenery of Lucis at the back, and then the last one he ever took of them all in the hill overlooking Insomnia. The last camp where they had ever been complete. 

“Just to remember us by,” Prompto sighed deeply before his voice could break. He stepped back. “Couldn’t find the one he took with him.”

“Perhaps he took that _with him_ , as well,” Ignis mused, looking to the both of them. “So the ring wasnʼt the only one missing.”

Gladio sniffled. “Iʼm touched.” He flicked a tear off his eye with a thumb. “Didnʼt think heʼd like a photo of us four that much.”

“Was I looking at the camera, Prompto?” Ignis asked. 

“Ah, yeah. You werenʼt blind then, yet,” Prompto answered. “Think it was one of those random stops we did for pictures. He was wearing his favorite jacket.” 

“Maybe thatʼs why he chose that,” Gladio laughed, even though the tears were still coming. Ignis only smiled and shook his head. “Well?” He faced his best friend in the casket, for one last time in his lifetime. “Any last words?”

Prompto whistled, turning up his eyes to wipe his tears. “Think Iʼm all out of last words.”

“Whatever it is we couldnʼt speak,” Ignis paused to sniffle, “Iʼm sure…Iʼm sure he knows about it in his heart.” His voice shook before he could finish himself. 

“Last call,” Gladio offered, and when they both shook their heads, he nodded his and took hold of the glass lid. “Right, Noct. Weʼll see you when we see you.” He pulled the lid down. 

“Wait!”

The glass was already halfway to the casket when Prompto shrieked all of a sudden and startled Gladio. If heʼd been gripping the frame any tighter, he might have cracked it and created a bigger problem for everyone in the ceremony. 

“What is it?” Ignis looked urgently to him. 

“Mm…nothing.” Prompto bounced his head while he waved for Gladio to continue. “I was just making sure you guys were still awake.” A prank. To lighten up the mood, surely. He couldnʼt believe it. 

“ _Promp. To,_ ” Ignis fumed from between his teeth. 

“You want me to throw you in here after Noct?” Gladio barked, jutting his finger at the waiting grave. 

“Hey, donʼt say those things out loud where people can hear you!” Prompto rebutted. Behind them, though, at least Talcott, among the people that they knew, was covering his laughter. “Hurry up, everyoneʼs waiting.”

“And whose fault is that?” Ignisʼ question reeked with acid and if he had eyes to glare he certainly would have. 

“You stop me again, Iʼm gonna stop you altogether,” Gladio warned him as, finally, he sealed the king under the glass. For one final, last time he gazed upon his image while he gripped onto the upper half of the casketʼs outer lid. 

He wished he had more memories of that face, but he knew there was no sense to keep a room for anger and regrets in his heart now. They all played their cards the best that they could, including Noctis. 

They would have to live with this, he thought, as he finally closed the casket. Kick back, watch the sun rise, and tell themselves they did what they could in the time that they had. And that was enough. That was more than enough.

—

They stayed around to watch the tombstone set and then lingered to shed a few more tears for their departed friend as the crowd dispersed into their own private functions. Normally, there would have been a main celebration that followed the death of a king, but it would have to wait until the Crown City had rebuilt at least some parts of itself. Besides, they were selfish and wanted their own personal celebration, as well.

After they left the Tomb of the Chosen, they boarded Promptoʼs truck and took off to the hill looking out to their home, where they shared their final meal as a group. The chairs they left behind as they made the final stop of their extended journey were just as theyʼd last seen them. 

They draped their coats, tossed their gloves and whatever over to the ones they sat in. But for Noctisʼ place, they left a bottle of his choice of refreshments. 

While they toasted to his name with theirs, sitting at the edge of the hill. Gladio pulled thirstily from his bottle of beer and wiped his mouth on his arm. “Well, Iʼm glad thatʼs over with,” he sighed, gazing out to the bridge that led back to Insomnia. “Donʼt remember crying so damn much my whole life.”

“Not even when you lost your dad?” Prompto asked, kicking his legs in the air. 

“It would have been a luxury back then, and one we could not afford,” Ignis shared, raising his bottle of cold brew to his lips. “But this one…well, I suppose we had time to cry.” He glanced at Prompto and Gladio to his right. “Perhaps…more time now than we know what to do with.”

“No whiny royalty to pick up after.”

“No high scores to beat!” Prompto chirruped after Gladio. 

“No mileage to chase before night time descends.” Ignis smiled. “The days have been much longer than what Iʼve been used to.”

“We havenʼt been used to any amount of daytime at all since Noct left,” Gladio chuckled, gulping down another mouthful. “Even now, when I step out of the Citadel, I keep my lights on even when itʼs blazing noon.”

“It will certainly take us all some time to adjust ourselves to this new life we are given,” Ignis added. “But…this is another chapter I would like to see through with the both of you. Even in this, I wish to remain with you.”

“Yeah?” Gladio grinned. “Sounds good. I got nowhere else I gotta go either.”

“Right?” Prompto laughed, though it wasnʼt the kind of laughter Gladio was used to hearing from his friend. Something about it felt short and nervous. “So…what are you guys thinking of doing now?”

“Well, a certain someone suggested I open a restaurant Weskham-style,” Ignis began. 

“Oh yeah?” Gladio tilted his head to catch Ignisʼ profile better. “So youʼre thinking about it seriously?”

“I figured it might not be a bad venture to look into while real estate is low.”

“And youʼd know all about that, huh?” Gladio laughed. Ignis was the one who was used to poring over listings, after all. 

“I bet that place is gonna be packed when it opens!” Prompto slapped his knee. “What about you, Gladio?” He whipped at him. 

“Well, someoneʼs gotta make sure the peace is kept, you know?” Gladio shrugged. “Everyoneʼs happy under the sun right now but people are gonna get hungry and desperate if we donʼt start rebuilding soon.”

“So like…from the Kingʼs Shield to the Peopleʼs Shield, huh?”

“Yeah.” Gladio smirked. “Just like my dad before me.” And just like what his king tasked him: to take care of everyone and the future he gave them. 

“Even now,” Ignisʼ smile was bright, “House Amicitia protects us under its wings.”

“And you?” Gladio nudged at Prompto. “Whatʼs got you all curious?”

“Ah, well…” Again with that nervous laughter. Prompto redirected his attention to the bottle of soda between his hands. “Actually…I was thinking of leaving again.”

“Eh? Again?”

“But you just got here, Prompto,” Ignis pointed out. “Will you not stay a while?”

“Yeah.” Gladio gestured with his bottle to him. “Whatʼs got your feet itching again?”

Prompto scratched his head. “Well…I was kinda thinking of revisiting our road trip, you know? Going back to the places we went to, then taking pictures of them like what I used to do. Maybe like a before and after sort of thing. Itʼll be like…” He shrugged. “A way to remember Noct, you know? He had the best time of his life with us.”

“Your own personal memorial.” Something that made Ignis smile fondly. 

“Yeah.” Prompto nodded. “And…I could tell people about him, too. You know, everyone probably knows him as the True King who returned the light but…no one really knows him the way we do. You know, the guy who likes to fish.”

“Likes to sleep,” Gladio tossed in. 

“Likes to waste his vegetables,” Ignis joined them. “That will be interesting, Prompto.”

“I just wanna do what I can to preserve his memory, you know? All those royal tombs we visited,” Prompto shrugged, “even Noct didnʼt know who they were before he took their arms. If I could do something so that Noct doesnʼt end up like that, then Iʼll do it.”

“That sounds like a lifelong mission,” Ignis thought aloud. 

“And if youʼre gonna go everywhere we went to…” Gladio straightened up, crossing his arms in thought. “That means Altissia and Niflheimʼll be part of the itinerary.”

“Yeah,” was all Prompto said. Heʼd certainly made up his mind. 

And it only took him ten years to be able to make these decisions. Gladio smirked at him. “Sounds like a lotta fun for you.”

“Perhaps one day, you can put these photos and stories together in a memoir,” Ignis suggested. 

“Eh?” Prompto whirled at him. “Really? You think so?”

“Iʼve seen you accomplish whatever you put your mind to.” Ignis nodded. “I have no doubts.”

Despite all the years heʼd taken to grow up, though, Prompto was still unable to take a compliment in the face without laughing a little. “W, well…if thatʼs what you think! In fact,” he scratched his head again, “I actually…sort of prepared a farewell gift for you both. Hold up, let me get it from my coat.”

“Now?” Gladio turned back to see Prompto digging inside the fabric on his chair. “When are you planning to leave, anyway?”

“Soon,” Prompto answered, putting himself back between the both of them. “Here.” He handed a photo to each of them. “This oneʼs for you, Gladio. And this oneʼs yours, Ignis. I scratched in some symbols at the top of our heads so youʼd know where we all are. This oneʼs a star for Noct…” He started to tour him on the picture. 

It was their last one in the camp, taken after theyʼd dried their tears. The same one Prompto left Noctis before they buried him. Turns out he printed a copy for each of them to keep. 

“How thoughtful,” Ignis commented, smiling. Gladio had to agree. 

“Yeah,” he flipped his photograph over, “he even left us messages on the back.”

“AH, wait— _wait_ , youʼre not supposed to read that while Iʼm here!” Prompto panicked. 

“Prompto,” Ignis called him again, “did you record mine somewhere?”

“Ah, sh, should I have?”

“Prompto, Iʼm blind, I canʼt read.”

“W, well, I was hoping Gladio could help?”

“You really thought this through, eh, Prompto?” Gladio snorted. 

They burned through the day out there, remembering the past and speaking of the future. Until they ran out of drinks and realized they were hungry. They picked up their coats and things on their way down the cliff. 

The four chairs and the bottle on Noctisʼ, they left as their own memorial to their friendship.

—

A few days later, they celebrated Gladioʼs wedding.

It was a sudden thing that even Gladio hadnʼt quite prepared for, even though he had been the one to announce it to his two friends when he asked for them to be his best men. 

“Stelʼs pregnant,” was his explanation when Prompto asked him how the wedding came to be. “Nine weeks, she said. She only found out the day we left for Hammerhead and didnʼt wanna distract me from Noctʼs funeral so she just told me last night.”

“Whoah, congratulations, man!” Prompto laughed, smacking him up the arm. “Youʼll be a dad!”

“Yeah, the Amicitia line lives on,” Gladio chuckled, feeling a little embarrassed as he rubbed the back of his nape with a hand. As the last Shield of the King, his fatherʼs influence on him had been…life-changing, to say the least. And because of that, heʼd always wondered what kind of father he would be. Still, to be called one now, so soon after he got the news… “But yeah, thatʼs why I asked to marry her. So I could give the kid my name. Though thereʼs not much of an inheritance to speak of now…”

“Think weʼre all in the same boat,” Prompto laughed, stuffing his hands in his jeans. “But…” He turned to the other man in the trio, his fellow best man. “What about you, Ignis?” Gladioʼs lover. 

“Oh, you should have been there when he told me. I would have wanted you to capture his face,” Ignis laughed healthily. 

“Donʼt ask,” Gladio muttered under his breath, shifting uncomfortably in his feet. 

“Huh? Huh? Why?” 

“I said donʼt ask!”

“I certainly detected,” Ignis raised his pointing finger and thumb, holding them half an inch apart from each other, “a fair amount of guilt in his voice.”

“ _Igniiis,_ ” Gladio growled. 

“And perhaps I might have poked a little too much fun in him for that,” Ignis laughed on, crossing his arms. “He ended up being the brokenhearted man between the two of us.”

“I wasnʼt!” Gladio snapped defensively. That was exactly what happened, though. As soon as he very guiltily broke the news to Ignis, the man pretended to be hurt and betrayed. Though because he was such a bad liar, it only took all of a minute for him to break character and laugh. Still, it had been enough to scorn Gladio who, to his defense, had been really scared to tell the man he claimed to love. 

“So youʼre fine with this, Ignis?” Prompto asked. 

“Thatʼs a funny question to ask a man outside of the relationship that has borne a child, Prompto. But yes,” Ignis answered eventually. “I am. Besides, a wedding after a funeral would be good for the peopleʼs morale.”

He was the one who oversaw the food for the celebration, as well, while Prompto took care of the photos. His wedding present to the couple, he said, before he became famous. 

The ceremony itself was short and sweet—not quite official with the lack of proper witnesses but Cor was the one who officiated the wedding, and everyone agreed that that would do. 

Even the gathering in the grand ballroom of the Citadel was small and intimate, though it was more than enough to make Gladioʼs heart full, with everyone stopping him for well wishes and general pleasantries. 

“So, where do I send my application to be the husbandʼs paramour?”

Ignis was behind him when he spun to the sound of his voice. He was smiling, a glass of champagne in his own hand, dressed in the Kingsglaive garb as Gladio was. 

Gladio clicked his tongue as he nudged him closer to his chest. “Canʼt believe you still remember that joke.”

“Is it a joke now?” Ignis laughed, clapping him on the back when they hugged. “Congratulations on a beautiful wedding, Gladio. Truly, Iʼm happy for you.”

“Feels weird,” Gladio chuckled. “Iʼm really happy today but my feelings for you havenʼt changed a bit. Gotta say…” He sighed quietly, stepping back to look Ignis in the face. “I kinda wonder if maybe Iʼm treating you badly and I shouldʼve married you instead.”

“I would have been the happiest man, Gladio,” Ignis assured him. “But perhaps in another life. In a more peaceful world where you and I arenʼt busy men, reeling from a lifelong trauma.” They werenʼt stupid enough to think they would get over Noctisʼ sacrifice soon, if at all. Prompto himself had already accepted that. 

“Think weʼll just fight all the time?”

“Let’s be real, we have never not fought ever since we got together,” Ignis pointed out. “Whether it was because of Noct, or each other, our priorities…and marriage is a different contract that takes no heed of our feelings. I worry that it may only bring out the worst of us. Weʼll both of us want to be at the forefront of building the future that Noct left us.”

“You really thought this through.”

“Just donʼt kick me out of your life, Gladio.”

“‘sif I could do something as stupid as that,” Gladio laughed, stepping away when Ignis nudged him back. “Iʼm not as smart as you but Iʼm no idiot.”

“Forgive me for insulting your intelligence.” Ignis turned to his left. “Anyway, someoneʼs coming.”

“Itʼs just Stel,” Gladio announced, all smiles as he reached for his pregnant wife in a plain white dress, the most they could manage in such a hurried ceremony. 

Only for him to be ignored so his wife could hug his lover. 

“Yeah, okay,” Gladio said, scratching at his head. 

“Thanks so much for coming,” Stel giggled at their guest as she bounced backwards on her flats. “The foodʼs _amazing_ , Ignis, I donʼt know how you do it.”

“It helps that I cook for the people that I love,” Ignis replied humbly. “Congratulations on your wedding, Stel. And the wonderful news.” He gestured to her stomach. 

Which made her giggle again and feel it under the fabric of her skirt. “Iʼm a little scared and a little excited. It wonʼt be easy raising a kid at this time but everyoneʼs so full of hope, itʼs hard not to get caught in the waves.”

“Yeah, and at least we got light now,” Gladio added. 

“A most opportune time,” Ignis agreed, pushing on his glasses. “The child will live through normal daylight hours, at least. I hear those who grew up in the dark are having difficulty in adjusting to this new life.”

“Really?” Stel sounded intrigued. 

“We gotta do somethinʼ about that.” Gladio folded his arms over his chest. 

“Indeed.” Ignis nodded. “But letʼs talk shop at another time. For now, we must celebrate you both. Have you decided where to move?”

“Oh, well, the house is still standing,” Gladio replied. “Just gotta replace one side of the wall and maybe the entire roof. You could move in with us.” He gestured to Ignis. “Without Dad and the Hesters, itʼll feel a bit too big for just two people.”

“Weʼve talked about it,” Stel cut in. “Please, stay with us. You have to be a part of this relationship, Ignis.”

“Iʼm touched.” Ignis glanced at them both. “Truly, I am. But…two people? What about Iris?”

“Says she wants to live on her own now that sheʼs an adult,” Gladio snorted, rolling her eyes. “Still living her metropolitan dreams—” Stel jabbed him with an elbow to the side. “Hey, ow!”

“Gladio, itʼs a good time to live your dream,” Ignis laughed. 

“If thatʼs the kind of big brother you are to your sister, Iʼd hate to see what kind of father you would be to a daughter.” Stel nudged Ignis by her arm. “At least her other dad is going to be more reasonable.”

“Hey, Iʼm the guy you married!” Gladio protested. 

“Donʼt make her regret it, Gladio,” Ignis warned him playfully. Then he dipped his head to the bride. “But certainly, Lady Amicitia.”

—

The next morning, it was time for Prompto to leave.

Gladio and Ignis took the red pickup to follow Prompto out to the checkpoint. Once there, Prompto stopped to take a few photos to mark the start of his personal road trip. 

“Donʼt miss me too much, okay?” Prompto clapped Ignis on his back as they embraced. “Iʼm gonna call everyday!”

“Look after yourself out there,” Ignis advised him in reply. “I might not be around to keep an eye on you during hunts.”

“ _Might?_ ”

“I mean, who knows? We know how to get around Lucis now. Maybe weʼll catch you one of these days, right?” Gladio rejoined them, dusting his hands. “I checked all your camping gear. Youʼre good to go.”

“Your curatives should be in the blue cooler,” Ignis added. 

Prompto hissed, scratching his head. “Seriously, you guys are spoiling me.”

“Just making sure you donʼt join Noct too soon,” Gladio chuckled, raising a hand towards Prompto. 

Prompto caught it with a sharp slap so they could pull each other to a one-armed embrace, both of them clapping the other fondly. “Thanks for everything, guys.”

“Back at ya.” Gladio stepped back as soon as Prompto hopped away and headed for his truck. He pointed at him with a warning finger. “Keep an eye on your blindspots, okay?”

“And remember:” Ignis added just as Gladio pulled him by an arm around his waist. “Insomnia will always be your home. Come back when youʼre famous, Prompto.”

“ _Donʼt_ come back _until_ youʼre famous!” Gladio laughed. 

“Iʼll come back soon!” Prompto promised them. Then he waved to them and pulled the door shut. 

With a final goodbye, he started down the road that would take him to the first stop of their journey—now his. 

Ignis sighed, crossing his arms. “And then there were two,” he mused. “How strangely fate moves. When we met each other, I was certain weʼd stick together forever.”

“Think we always will, one way or another,” Gladio said, turning to face his lover. “Weʼve certainly come a long way.”

“And we will go longer still.” Ignis looked back up to him. “I am certain of that.” That was the first time Gladio had ever realized that this was the first time he could see his loverʼs face—with all its scars and ruined eyes—under clear skies. 

The way it struck his heart, he felt like a teenager going through another phase of infatuation. Heʼd always known that Ignis was handsome, even beautiful, he would say. 

But to see it now with sunlight, it felt like he was falling in love again for the second time. 

“Hm? Gladio?” The silence of Gladioʼs admiration must have stretched on longer than he expected. But when Gladio cupped his scarred side with a gentle hand, he gave him a knowing smirk. 

Just before they kissed, a giddy warmth filling Gladioʼs chest when he felt the press and softness of Ignisʼ lips, and the lightness of his touch on his own scarred cheek. 

When they parted, it was Gladioʼs turn to put on his own smile. “I remember I wanted to kiss you in the sunlight.”

“Living the dream, Gladio,” Ignis quipped as he reached for another kiss, tugging on the lapel of Gladioʼs jacket while Gladio pulled him closer from the back. 

They held on for just a little longer. Until Ignis took his hand from his cheek and wove their fingers together between them. 

“Time to head back,” Ignis decided, leading the way to Gladioʼs waiting pickup. “The marshal wants to meet with us about the plan to revive the Crownsguard.”

“Should probably come up with a different name now,” Gladio noted. He pulled the door to the passenger seat and helped Ignis up. “After all, no king, no crown.”

“Perhaps the Crystal might offer us some ideas,” Ignis suggested, which made Gladio burst out laughing. 

“Let you know when I get a vision in my sleep,” Gladio went on, going around the front of the truck after he pushed Ignisʼ door shut. He got on the driverʼs side and released the parking lock. “Ignis, which way to the service road again?”

“Ah, let me think,” Ignis said, putting his head to the back of his seat. “I think itʼs the second exit to the right of the checkpoint.”

“Got it.” Gladio backed up, then took a wide turn towards home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> /noctis.mp3
> 
> four mos. later and i finally have it all out and published!!! \o/ thank you so much for sticking around with me from start to end and my heart is so full of your kudos and your lovely comments and the bookmarks!! i keep missing the bookmarks but im so touched and grateful that you think this story is worth saving and rereading ❤️❤️❤️
> 
> anyway, that was such a wild ride for me, like the world was literally just opening up to the new normal when i started writing the first chapter. this piece will forever be memorable for me in a lot of ways and i'm really very happy and honored that you gave me an opportunity to share it with you amazing folks (more than 1,300 hits!! icn believe it, that's like 60+ reads per chapter, holy hell) 💕💕💕 
> 
> until the next stories! o/// 💖💖💖


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